III. Martha believed without understanding.  Read John 11

Believing God does not always mean that we understand His ways.  Until we see Him work in our lives, it is impossible to see things through His eyes.  Though we will never have perfect knowledge in this life, as we walk with Him, we build a bank of experiences upon which to base our understanding of His work in our present circumstances.  Jesus helped his disciples, Martha, and us to understand how to believe Jesus.

1. Why did Jesus delay his response to the sisters’ plea for help for Lazarus? (11:14)

 

2. Who was the first of the sisters to meet Jesus as he approached? (11:20)

 

3. What did Martha say that she believed about Jesus? (11:21-22)

 

4. In the next interchange Jesus pressed Martha. What was the disconnect between what Jesus said and what Martha said? (11:23-27)

 

5. When Jesus called for the stone to be removed what did Martha’s comment reveal? (11:39)

 

6. Here was another teaching moment between Jesus and Martha. What was Jesus’ reminder to this friend? (11:40)

 

7. Why was the raising of Lazarus an experience for the disciples to put in their ‘spiritual bank account’?

 

We have the same confusion about God’s priorities that Martha did.  We think we believe Jesus but when it comes to a difficult personal circumstance, we have no vision for what the Lord can accomplish.  That may be because we don’t see how the Lord can bless without fulfilling our desire, or we don’t relinquish our smallness of thinking to imagine how He might work miraculously, completely outside of our will.  Pray for the ‘will to will for God’s will’.