September 15, 2024 Devo

September 15th, 2024

“It’s All About Jesus!”
The Story of Lazarus (John 11)
When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” – John 11:20-22 (NLT)
“A Tenacious Faith”

People need to pay a lot more attention to the wedding vows they make. “Better or worse, richer or poorer, sickness and health…” Those vows are an accurate description of what marriage is like. Good times, tough times. Times of plenty, and times of poverty. Times of blissful harmony, and times of bitter disagreements. The key to marriage is being able to stay committed to each other and believe in each other even when you’re disappointed in each other. Anyone whose been married a while understands this. Love has to be TENACIOUS.
Our faith in God has to be the same way. There are times when we’re overwhelmed by the love and goodness of God. Times when we have experienced His grace because we’ve failed greatly. Times when He’s answered prayers in ways that leave us singing His praises. But then, there are those OTHER times. Times when He’s silent. Times when He allows us to suffer. Times when He says, “No,” to our most heart-rending, passionate requests. Then the question becomes, can we STILL believe in Him? Can we still think He loves us, and can we still love Him in return? Can we cling to Him—even when we’re horribly disappointed in Him? That’s a tenacious faith.
I love how Martha affirms that kind of faith today in our passage. She wasn’t shy about expressing her disappointment in Jesus being too late to heal Lazarus. But look how she affirms her faith in the midst of her sadness. “But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” In other words, “This broke my heart, but it doesn’t change my commitment. My sadness isn’t going to steal my faith in who you are and what you can do.” That’s a strong faith. A grown-up faith. A TENACIOUS faith.
Some of us may need that kind of faith today. Maybe God hasn’t answered you the way you want Him to. Maybe you’ve gone through pain or loss or suffering, and you feel as if God has let you down. It’s okay. God is big enough to handle your disappointment. He stays committed to you when you disappoint Him, so keep up your end of the bargain, too. Reach out to Him and affirm to Him that you are going to cling to Him no matter what. Declare today that your faith is strong. Your faith is a grown-up faith. Your faith is TENACIOUS! That’s God’s Word for you today.