Plan B: The Value of Others

When life brings us a detour, we often are left feeling like we are traveling the road all alone.  In our loneliness we are left wondering does anyone care?  As Christians we know that God is with us, but in these moments of loneliness we would much prefer God be made of flesh and blood.  Noted author Anne LaMott has said, “one of the most powerful sermons an individual can preach consists of primarily two words: me too.”

When you are struggling along in life on a detour of life – a Plan B circumstance – when you are dealing with unmet expectations – when you are hurting, doubting, questioning – there may be nothing more healing than someone who can come along side you and say, “I know what you’re going through – me too!”

When someone is able to speak those words to you … you know they aren’t going to judge you or look down on you or lecture you.  You know that they get it.  Truth is they really don’t need to say anything – their presence is like a healing balm on your pain.  It is amazing how deep a connection can be found with another person when you share a common struggle.

Our need for community takes us to the story of Naomi found in the book of Ruth. This story is for people who wonder where God is when things don’t go as planned.  It is a book for people when tragedy after tragedy seemingly assaults their lives. It is also a book about the subtle ways God works in our lives.

The story begins subtly as we learn the names of a family living in Moab during the time of the Judges and particularly the matriarch - Naomi.  There is already a struggle for her – a detour – there is a famine in the land (Ruth 1:1).  Today we might think of that as an economic depression. The famine would have resulted in the loss of everything – livestock, possessions, even the ability to provide income.  On top of that her husband dies.  She was now alone.  Thankfully she had two sons who could help provide for her.

That is important to note because in the ancient world there was nothing worse than being a widow.  They were almost always poverty stricken.  God’s law provided that the nearest male relative of the dead husband should care for the widow so Naomi relied on her sons.

Over the next many years, Naomi and her two boys learn to overcome the hardship.  The boys grow up, marry, and life returns to a new Plan A.  Once again, the unthinkable happens and both her sons get sick and die.  Naomi is now destined to a life of begging and poverty.  It is not hard to imagine the cries of Naomi: “Why me? Why now? How could this happen? With all I have been through already, why this? Why now?”  The pain and anguish felt by Naomi are revealed in her own words: 

“Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”  Ruth 1:20-21NIV 

It’s easy for us to relate to Naomi.  We have all been in that self-pity mode at one time or another.  We understand how she feels.  As we read her story, there is a part of us that wants to reach into the story and say, “me too!”

With no means of support and no known living male relatives, Naomi decides to return to her homeland of Judah (Ruth 1:6a ). Why? “Because she had heard that the LORD had paid attention to his people there by providing food for them” (Ruth 1:6b).  Naomi is desperate and is trying to find some bit of hope to keep her going. As Naomi prepares to leave, she says good-bye to her daughter-in-laws.  They want to go, but they are instead rebuked with words of self-pity and bitterness: 

Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!”  Ruth 1:11-13 NIV 

But then Ruth speaks up … “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.  Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”  Ruth 1:16-17NIV 

In these words from Ruth, we discover the first signs of hope in the entire story.  In the darkest moment of life for Naomi, when all hope is seemingly lost, God provides Ruth who steps in and says, “me too.”  Naomi needed that – We need that. 

Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?”  

Romans 15:1-2 The Message 

The kind of community described in Romans is indispensable when your life is falling apart.  Many of you know all about community because you have experienced it!  You have been blessed by the “me too” of community.  Many of you are still searching for it.

I have witnessed countless people go through Plan Bs in their lives.  One of the most important factors for people in their ability to trust God in the midst of the detour is the group of people the surround themselves with.  When you are separated from the faith community, you tend to think the worst.  When you are separated from the faith community, your hope can quickly give way to despair.  The only thing worse than a ‘Plan B’ in life is a ‘Plan B life’ without a faith-filled community.

If you are tempted to run from church to cover up your hurt or your pain – I understand. My hope is that you won’t. Too often we assume that nothing good can come from our pain – don’t do that.  Don’t allow the pain of your disappointment keep you from embracing the gift of community.  Don’t let your disappointment keep you from hearing or sharing the words, “me too.”

Take the risk of sharing the real you – the authentic you.  Trust that God will provide the community of people that can come along side you and say, ‘me too’.  You might even discover the power of saying the words ‘me too’ to someone else.  The benefits of community will always come after you take the risk of opening your life to others.

It’s really your choice.

You can continue to hide the pain and can grow bitter and lonely, feeling as if you are all alone in the midst of your Plan B or you can open your eyes like Naomi eventually did.  (Read the rest of the story) and begin to trust God and those around you.  As you begin to trust those around you, maybe you will discover someone speaking those healing words, “me too.”

Maybe it will be you.

One the way to Sunday ... All Alone?

Sometimes I think God must spend the day laughing at what we think of the ironies of life.  For instance, this week I am wrapping up a sermon series about the detours of life that I entitled: All Alone?  Now the irony is that this series of messages and titles was picked months ago without thought to what my personal calendar would look like.  So what are the chances that during a week when my wife would be gone for the week visiting the grandkids and daughter-in-law to be that I would be left all alone?  When you put God's sense of humor (irony) in to the equation, the odds go way up! 

I am now in day 6 - only 2 more to go.  So far, my son and I have survived and the dogs are still alive and well (I have hinted that I would give away the dogs and hire an Au Pair if she didn't hurry back).

There is a difference in solitude and loneliness. I enjoy quiet time away to think and reflect, but I always know that at the end of the time there will be someone waiting for me that understands me.  Now it would be easy for me to turn this into a simple Sunday School lesson: 

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Matthew 20:20 KJV

But I am also reminded that God said it is not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18).  God was right it is not good to be alone.  This is not about marriage - simply put WE were made to be in community with others. When you are separated from community, you tend to think the worst - I am all alone and nobody cares! When you are separated from community, your hope quickly gives way to despair. 

I believe that is one of the many reasons the church was created - community. 

Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?”  

Romans 15:1-2 The Message 

This kind of community is indispensable when it feels as if your life is falling apart or you just feel all alone.  While I have more than enough time for solitude I have never truly been alone.  I have had a community of faith that has been there asking "How can I help?” and simply knowing that they cared was enough to fill the days.

See you Sunday ... I will just be one of many coming together and thankful that their is a group of people that know my name and welcome me as part of their community.  Don't despair in solitude, join us and become part of the community.

And if my wife is reading this ... I am still hopeful that you will return this week safe and sound, but just in case, I have looked into the advertising rates for a help wanted ad not because I am lonely - just tired! 

Plan B: The Land of Uz

As we continue a look at the detours of life – the Plan Bs. Let me remind you that we spend most of our lives on the detours. We have plans, but more often than naught we are forced to live our lives with the Plan Bs of life. One of the byproducts of living our lives in Plan B is that we must deal with stress. In less formal terms, we feel stress or stressed when we feel that "things are out of control." But, perhaps the most useful and widely accepted definition of stress is: Stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that "demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize" (Richard S. Lazarus). 

A side note: prior to the 1920s stress was only mentioned in relationship to physics or engineering. Today, stress is just a common part of our lives. Stress is known to have effects on our health thanks in part to psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe who in 1967 decided to study whether or not stress contributes to illness. They surveyed more than 5,000 medical patients and asked them whether they had experienced any of a series of life events in the previous two years. Each event had a different "weight" for stress. The more events the patient added up, the higher the score. The higher the score, and the larger the weight of each event, the more likely the patient was to become ill.

Not all unusual events (Plan Bs or detours) are as equally hard to deal with and The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS), more commonly known as the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale, was created to measure just that. This tool helps us measure the stress load we carry. How much does it take to push you "over the edge"?

I have during several periods of my life scored over 600 on the stress scale – I might also add that I am ended up at the Heart Doctor on both occasions. Stress can cause severe health problems and, in extreme cases, can cause death. You should take the advice of a suitably qualified health professional if you have any concerns over stress-related illnesses, or if stress is causing you significant or persistent unhappiness.

The Bible is packed with stories of people that are pushed beyond what they could handle. These are stories we need to learn from because they are stories about us. We should be able to relate to these characters in the Bible as Life happens – Plan Bs pop up – detours occur – and we reach our limit – the proverbial last straw hits – and we can’t take anymore!

We hit the wall. Our world is turned upside down – divorce, betrayal, job loss, a sudden death, health issues, deep depression, or perhaps a disillusion experience at church. Truth is any one of these could push us over edge. Whatever it is we are pushed to our limits and we find ourselves once again questioning ourselves, questioning God, questioning church, and even our questioning faith. In these moments of stress, we have more questions than answers:

We don’t know where God is? or Why God has abandoned us?
We don’t understand why this is happening? or What God is doing?
We don’t’ understand what God has planned?
And we certainly don’t know how God is going to fix it?

Perhaps one of the best examples of someone hitting the wall in the Bible is Job (on the stress scale Job scores over 1200!).

As we examine the story of Job, we will discover that this is more than a story about one person. Job lives in the Land of Uz – not OZ! (there are no munchkins or yellow brick roads). In the Land of Uz, Job is a good man and good things just seem to happen to him. Some might call him blessed. Others might just call him wealthy! For many people in The Land of Uz, it appears that the good things that happen to Job do so in direct proportion to the good things he does. The world today would call that Karma. And while we each know that that ‘Karma’ isn’t true, each of us struggles to let go of the notion – “bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people”. Why else do we carry luck charms and superstisouly repeat certain actions in hopes of bringing good fortune?

Reality is that The Land of Uz isn’t that different from where we live. The Land of Uz is a place where bad things happen to good people. As a matter of fact that is a pretty common occurrence. The Land of Uz is simply a place where people find themselves living along the detours of life. The land of Uz is really the land of us! After all, Job is the story of us – of you – of me – of everybody.

You are probably familiar with the story of Job. Job is the subject of a strange wager between God and Satan over how Job will respond to losing everything that he holds dear. At the very beginning, Satan declared, “So do you think Job does all that out of the sheer goodness of his heart? Why, no one ever had it so good! You pamper him like a pet, make sure nothing bad ever happens to him or his family or his possessions, bless everything he does—he can’t lose! “But what do you think would happen if you reached down and took away everything that is his? He’d curse you right to your face, that’s what.” (Job 1:9-11 The Message)

In other words, the argument is that people will only follow God if there is an immediate benefit to them. So first, Job loses his livestock, his wealth, his servants, all of his children and family – you might say catastrophe strikes – and he loses everything! We witness Job’s response as recorded in Job 1:20-22 CEB: Job arose, tore his clothes, shaved his head, fell to the ground, and worshipped. He said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb; naked I will return there. The Lord has given; the Lord has taken; bless the Lord’s name.” In all this, Job didn’t sin or blame God.

What an attitude! You might characterize Job’s response as super-human or at the least other-worldly. Job’s response is sorrow, followed by prayer, and then worship. It is hard to comprehend this type of response. For most of us, we can’t even begin to imagine responding in that manner. Job’s response is at best what we would hope for, but and in reality it is that which we doubt we could ever achieve. But, Job’s response is really what this entire story is about – so pay attention to it. In this story of us, we must learn from it.

Next, Job is afflicted with health issues that cause his body to be covered with painful sores. Job’s response is different this time. This time Job begins to struggle. Job begins to ask hard questions like “Why didn’t I die at birth?” (Job 2:11b NIV) and philosophical questions like “What’s the point of life when it doesn’t make sense?” (Job 2:21-23 The Message).

An interesting side note to consider - It is only humans that ask these type of questions. In the midst of death and tragedy, only humans ask why? A buzzard, finding a carcass on the side of the road, doesn’t stop to ponder the tragedy that has occurred. No, it just thinks – dinner! Only we ask why?

We ask why in the face of tragedy because there is a part of us that knows “this” isn’t right. When we are in the detours of life, we know that we were created for something better than this – Job innately knew that he was created form something better than the Land of Uz. You and I know that too! How is it that we know things aren’t right?

When Job lost all his children and his possessions, he knew something wasn’t right.
When bombs are ignited at the Boston Marathon and people are killed, we know that’s not right. When a child slowly dies of cancer, or a young mother or father, we know that’s not right.
When a woman is abused, we know that’s not right.
When children are hungry and starving, we know that’s not right.
When children are growing up without fathers and mothers, we know that’s not right.
Whether we believe in God or not, something in us tells us this events – these detours - aren’t right. Something causes us to ask Why?

Why aren’t things right? There is a reason. Let’s take a detour to Genesis 2:15-17 CEV: The Lord God put the man in the Garden of Eden to take care of it and to look after it. 16 But the Lord told him, “You may eat fruit from any tree in the garden, except the one that has the power to let you know the difference between right and wrong. 

Creation was good. Man and woman had everything they needed to be healthy and happy. There was one rule and that one rule was broken and with it came knowledge of right and wrong – good and evil. In other words, we learned to know when things are the way they should be and when they are not. And as descendants of Adam and Eve, we have inherited their problem. No matter hard we try, life will never quite be the way we hoped it would be. That’s why we find it so disappointing that things aren’t the way they are supposed to be.

The prophets of old used to dream about the time when things would be made right. They wrote of the Promised Day when God would make everything right as it was supposed to be. They had a word for it: shalom. You have probably heard this word used as a form of a greeting, but shalom is more than a greeting. The word comes from the root word shalem which means “whole, complete, perfect and full.” In other words, shalom means “all things the way they are supposed to be.” Shalom is a prayer – a hope. Shalom, may all things be as they are supposed to be. One day, according to the Bible, they will be – but not yet – not while we continue to live in the Land of Uz.

While we are still living in The Land of Uz, we will keep running into detours and plan Bs and we will be left to keep asking, “Why?” For only humans ponder these things. It is ours only to ask, “Why?” We ask because we know things aren’t right. Our asking might even result in us finding it harder to believe in God for when you live in the Land of Uz doubt comes naturally. Sometimes doubt even shows up at your door. Just ask Job.

In our story, Job’s friends come to offer words of comfort. There is something strangely familiar about these friends of Job (perhaps for you as well). I can tell you that throughout my life well-meaning, well-intentioned people have spoken words they thought were helpful Biblical truths to me – perhaps you have experienced that too? The unfortunate thing is that so much of what we hear from others is 1) not Biblical and 2) simply contributes to our already growingly distorted view of God.

Their comments are filled with the same type of expressions you might have heard while living in your Plan B:

Job’s wife starts "Are you still holding on to your principles? Curse God and die!" (Job 2:9)
You must have done something to deserve this: you only get what you deserve. (Job 4:7-11)
You know Life isn’t working out for you because your life doesn’t measure up to God’s standards. (Job 5:8-19)
Your faith in God hasn’t helped you – has it? God will do what He Pleases! (Job 7:11-12)
You see? That’s exactly why I stopped going to church – praying – believing in God. (Job 12:1-6)

The problem with Job’s friends (and for that matter many of our friends) is that their comments aren’t helpful, but the real problem is that their comments aren’t true!

Wait! We can’t leave out one of my “favorites”: Just remember, God won’t give you more than you can handle! Have you heard that one? It sounds sweet – you might say it even sounds loving. It was probably said to you with a loving touch, a squeeze of the hand, or a gentle hug. The problem is that sweet though it sounds it just isn’t true! It’s not even in the Bible!

So, here is the truth: Throughout your life you will face one difficult situation after another and many of them will be beyond what you can handle and that is exactly why they are so difficult!

Job knew that. Job even knew his friend’s advice was wrong. The question is do you know that?

So many of us are still stuck with the idea that “If you do good, God will bless you, and if you do bad, God will allow bad things to happen to you.”

Job is a reminder to all of us who live in the Land of Uz that there will be times when you are seemingly doing everything right and out of nowhere you will be forced into a detour – a plan B. Everyone experiences moments of crisis and pain in their life. Everyone has moments when life doesn’t turn out the way you had planned. Why? Because we live in the Land of Uz.

Job is a reminder that how we respond to God in the detours of life matters.
We are called to be faithful to God even in the times when it seems God has not been faithful to us. We are called to love God even when we feel abandoned.
We are called to look for God even when everything around us seems hidden in darkness.
We are called to worship even while crying tears of despair.
Can you do that?

When Plan B is wreaking havoc in your life and God doesn’t seem to be doing a thing, can you still worship? When the way before you isn’t clear, can you still follow Him? When life isn’t turning out the way you planned – the way you hoped – can you still trust Him enough to believe?

I can’t help but think of the lyrics to Even If by one of today’s popular Christian groups Kutless:

Sometimes all we have to hold on to
Is what we know is true of who You are 
So when the heartache hits like a hurricane
That could never change who You are
And we trust in who You are
Even if the healing doesn't come
And life falls apart
And dreams are still undone
You are God You are good

Forever faithful One
Even if the healing doesn't come
Lord we know your ways are not our ways
So we set our faith in who You are

Job did just that. Can you?

Remember, we were created for something better than the Land of Uz.

Keep the faith. Shalom!

Thanks to Pete Wilson for the inspiration for this message found in his book, Plan B

On the way to Sunday ... Asking Why?

We ask why in the face of tragedy because there is a part of us that knows “this” isn’t right.

When bombs are ignited at the Boston Marathon and people are killed, we know that’s not right.
When a child slowly dies of cancer, or a young mother or father, we know that’s not right.
When a woman is abused, we know that’s not right.
When children are hungry and starving, we know that’s not right.
When children are growing up without fathers and mothers, we know that’s not right.
Whether we believe in God or not, something in us tells us this events aren’t right.
Something causes us to ask Why? Why aren’t things right?

There is a reason for our questioning: 

The Lord God put the man in the Garden of Eden to take care of it and to look after it. 16 But the Lord told him, “You may eat fruit from any tree in the garden, except the one that has the power to let you know the difference between right and wrong."  Genesis 2:15-17 CEV

Creation was good. The Human Race had everything they needed to be healthy and happy. There was one rule and that one rule was broken and with it came knowledge of right and wrong – good and evil. In other words, we learned to know when things are the way they should be and when they are not. And as descendants of Adam and Eve, we have inherited their problem and no matter hard we try, life will never quite be the way we hoped it would be. That’s why we find it so disappointing that things aren’t the way they are supposed to be.

The prophets of old used to dream about the time when things would be made right. They wrote of the Promised Day when God would make everything right as it was supposed to be. They had a word for it: shalom. 

So, as the events of the the week - or the events of your life - cause you to ask, "Why?"

I offer you this answer:  Shalom - שָׁלוֹם

Most people know the Hebrew word shalom as a term of greeting. However, while Shalom is used to greet people and to bid them farewell and it also means much more than "peace, hello or goodbye" 

The interesting thing about Hebrew words is that they go beyond their spoken pronunciation in meaning. Each Hebrew word also conveys feeling, intent and emotion. Shalom means more than just simple peace. According to Strong's Concordance 7965 Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord. Shalom comes from the root verb shalem meaning to be complete, perfect and full.  In other words, shalom means “all things the way they are supposed to be.” To say shalom describes a process, an activity, a movement towards fullness. When Shalom is rendered it means:

To make amends
To make good
To be (or to make) peace
To restore
Peace
Prosperity
Wellness

Shalom then is as much a prayer of hope as it is a greeting. Shalom, may all things be as they are supposed to be. One day, according to the Bible, they will be – but not yet. We keep running into the things of life that aren't right and we keep asking, “Why?” We ask because we know things aren’t right. And yet we hope ... Shalom.

Remember Jesus was called the Prince of Peace (Sar shalom) which perfectly described the ministry and personality of our Messiah.

So in the moments come that cause us to ask Why?

May I offer a simple answer - a simple prayer: Shalom - שָׁלוֹם
 
I'll see you Sunday ... and until then ... Shalom to you.

Finding Hope amidst Despair

Today we continue a look at the detours of life – the Plan Bs.  Truth is this is the reality we most often live – Oh we have plans, but more often than naught we are forced to live our lives with the Plan Bs of life.  So, what can faith do to help us in the detours? 

Let me introduce you to a couple of people who most certainly lost hope and most certainly were frustrated while they waited on God to respond (John 11).

We begin in the town of Bethany where Lazarus lives with his sisters, Mary and Martha.  These three are dear friends of Jesus.  Their home just outside of Jerusalem is in fact a home away from home for Jesus and his disciples. As our story begins, Jesus is far from Bethany. He has traveled across the Jordan River to get away from the people who are seeking to have him arrested.  While Jesus is ministering in that area, he gets Bad News:

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose

brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)  So the

sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”  When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,  John 11:1-6 NIV

I have to admit, if I were Mary or Martha (or for that matter Lazarus) that would be hard to take.  If I were one of them, I would be the first to step up and say, “I don’t like this plan!”  When we are in the midst of that pain and anguish of our Plan Bs, let’s be honest, we don’t want to hear from God that it is all part of the plan. I suspect that is how many of us honestly feel.  We don’t like God’s plans – not if they involve suffering or pain – not if they involve waiting on God or wondering if God is going to act – not if it involves Plan B.  We love the idea of following Jesus until it disrupts our plans and dreams.

I am pretty sure Mary and Martha (and Lazarus) were not too fond of God’s plan while they waiting for Jesus to show up.  Can you imagine what it must have been like from them?  They sent a messenger to Jesus – the great healer and friend – and now they are waiting for Jesus to show up and make everything as it was.  Lazarus lies in his bed, burning with fever, growing sicker and sicker.  Mary sits by his side, crying, holding his hand.  Martha hurries about and constantly looks out the window and hopes …. Jesus will be here in minute … Should we send another messenger … He is coming …. Any time now … BUT, Jesus doesn’t come.

Perhaps you have been there.  God, I need your help.  I promise, I’ll read my Bible more, I won’t drift away again, I’ll become a missionary … whatever you want … Just help me.  And then you waited, but nothing.  Nothing changes.  Nothing gets better.  If God is at work, you certainly can’t tell.  You pray the same prayer and you still are left waiting .. no answer ... hope is turning to despair.

Waiting is hard. While we wait, there isn’t much we can, but wait.  Our culture makes it even worse.  We live in the day of fast and instant. We believe faster is always better.  We are dependent on getting what we want when we want it.  Unfortunately, we have allowed the culture of instant gratification to invade our theology of God.

Back to our story where Mary and Martha are waiting:  and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
"But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?” Jesus 
answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light.  It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.” After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”  His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”  Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural 
sleep. So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”  John 11:7-15 NIV

According to the Bible, Jesus said all this has happened “so that you may believe.” I'm sure that is real comforting to Mary, Martha, and the now dead Lazarus. We have to learn to have a new perspective on our detours in life. We have to stop looking at our shattered dreams and our unmet expectations as something God is doing to you.  God is not doing something to you, BUT God might be doing something through you.  God might be doing something in you.  That’s exactly what God was doing with Mary and Martha (and Lazarus) and the disciples. 

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.  Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.  When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  John 11:17-21 NIV

We have all muttered those words of Martha, “God, if you had been there, this wouldn’t have happened? God, where were you?

I know you could have saved my marriage.

I know you could have gotten me that promotion or that job.

I know you could have healed my friend.

I know you could have done something ... anything! ... Where were you God?

In our story, Martha doesn’t doubt God’s power she just questions God’s timing.  Martha is upset because Jesus didn’t show up when she wanted Him to show up.  And that is worth noting because I believe that is often our issue with God.

The question for us isn’t can we trust God? We trust God.  Of Course we do.

The real question is can you wait on God?  Will you wait? Will you continue to hope in God even when the timing is off?

Trusting in God does not mean God shows up exactly the way you thought He was going to show up.  Trusting God doesn’t mean God’s timing is going to be your timing.  Hope doesn’t come just believing in God, but hope comes from also accepting and trusting God’s timing. And that is hard to do.  We want God to show up when we want in the way we want. We want God’s power.  We want God’s comfort.  But too often we just don’t want anything to do with God’s idea of timing!  

Back to our story and you know the ending: Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”  John 11:43-45 NIV

Jesus brings Lazarus back from the dead, but in the process Jesus fulfills God’s purpose – to help people believe and to bring God glory.  This story is reminds us we should never give up hoping.  God is the God of the hopeless. When life isn’t turning out the way you had hoped, when you find yourself waiting … when you feel alone and abandoned … God wants you to find hope in HIM.

When our son Riley was born, it didn’t go as planned.  Plan A was not a 8-week pre-mature, life-saving C-Section.  Plan A was not the news that your child has Down Syndrome.  But in the intervening moments, hours, days, and years our Plan B had been amazing.  I don’t even remember how or when, but a poem was given to us and the words helped us find hope. 

I can tell you that It’s not easy in the midst of the detours that life presents – all the plan Bs – to find hope.  

Sometimes, we need to be reminded of the stories that give us hope like the story of Easter's empty tomb, or Mary, Martha and Lazarus and their waiting on Jesus' help. Sometimes we just need to discover words of hope in a poem or essay.  

Sometimes we can find hope in the pages of God’s promises: 

I find rest in God; only he gives me hope.
He is my rock and my salvation.
He is my defender; I will not be defeated.

Psalm 62:5-6 New Century Version 

I love this picture created by the Psalmist:  Frustrated, angry, stressed, confused, exhausted, tired of waiting … the invitation is given: just come collapse in the loving arms of God and discover rest, comfort, and protection.

Be still and find Rest in God. And while you rest in God - Wait.

And in your waiting ... discover hope once again.