Reading: Luke 7:11-17
The pain of losing a loved one is unbearable but when death strikes consecutively in a family, the pain is even worse. This narrative is of a woman who had lost a husband a while back and now she was on her way to bury her only son. Questions of “why me” and “why now” and “where is God in all this” must have been running through her mind. It must have been a very dark day in her life. The crowd was with her but her tormented soul must have been way in a distant world that no amount human words of comfort would reach her. When Jesus took a glance at this poor woman, He took compassion on her even before she could say a word. According to her, the situation couldn’t be reversed but according to Jesus that was the perfect timing for him to perform a miracle. It took a simple gesture from Jesus and at the sound of his voice the dead man arose! This had never been seen before and it was unheard of. What looked like a closed case was now completely turned around because Jesus, who is the life (John 14:6) had stepped into the scene.
There are times in life when you will go through terrible situations that you will desperately desire to see God work out a way for you immediately. During these times however, it seems like your prayers are only hitting a dead end. Like Mary and Martha, you will begin to wonder why Jesus hasn’t shown up despite hearing the report of his friend’s sickness only to show up four days after He is dead!(John 11:5-6).Similarly in Exodus God allowed Egyptians to come too close to the Israelites until for a moment it looked like they were winning, but he wanted to rip open the red sea and make a dry land for them to cross through. (Exd 14:10-12).For Sarah,God waited until her womb was as good as dead not to ashame her, but to give her a child at a very old age to prove that He is the God of all flesh (Jere 32:17) and that advanced age means nothing to Him. Moreover,Dorcas had to die so that the early church would acknowledge that the resurrection power that brought Jesus back to life was actually at work in Peter.(Acts 9:37).
Many times, God lets the enemy seem like he is winning, but it is a strategy to prove that He is actually the game changer and with Him nothing is impossible. When you go through tough times, do not fret; all you need is to be still and rest on His promises.When situations progress from bad to worse, to a point according to you is of no return; don’t give up hope yet. Do not think that God doesn’t want to answer you; it’s only a test of time. In such instances, remember that God is always on time. He is not delaying; He is only waiting for the opportune time to show up and do what only He can do.This is why Jesus allowed the widow’s only son to die and even be taken out for burial. He would have come earlier and healed him but he needed to introduce to the multitudes a greater dimension of His Power through a miracle of resurrection which could not happen until the son was dead. Always remember that however bad it gets,God has a better plan.
Finally, when God finally shows up and turns things around for your good, never forget that all God does is for the praise of His name. When your weeping in the night finally comes to an end and you put on your dancing shoes, remember that God does miracles in our lives to bring glory to His name. As you dance away in joy, remember to give back all the glory back to God. Testify and let the world know that were it not for the Lord, the victory would not have been possible. Remember to give praise to the game changer; the only one who has the final say no matter what happens.
