Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
The Puzzle of How God Works for Our Good
Read
John 11:1-45
Looking at one piece of a thousand piece puzzle will hardly give
me a clue of its potential—it is part of a bigger picture.
Thankfully, most puzzles have the picture printed on the box!
I
imagine that Mary and Martha didn't have the full picture of what Jesus was
doing either. The sisters saw
only a small part of a bigger story—their brother was dead! They must have thought, if Jesus loved them, he would have cared and come right away.
Why
didn't Jesus come to help them? Isn't this also what we may think when God doesn't seem to come through for us in our trials and suffering? We wonder,
"Where is God? Does he see my situation? Does God love me? Why doesn't he
help me?" We may figure, he must not care about us!
The story of Lazarus reminds us that God has a bigger picture in mind, he is working out a plan that includes the whole world, and yet, we see that Jesus cried. He cried because he
understood the sisters' pain. He loved them and knew they were hurting. Even so, he wanted them
to know there was an important reason as to why he didn't come to heal Lazarus before he died; he had a more important plan. His way of doing things would bring glory to God and reveal who he was: the giver of life, the Promised
Messiah, the Savior who would rise from the dead to defeat our greatest enemy
and overcome eternal death. In this, the sisters learned that all things, even the death of their brother, worked together for good, because they loved
God (Romans 8:28).
God will put the pieces of our lives together to bring him glory, and ultimately,
it will even be for our good! When Jesus
taught the Beatitudes, he said,
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be
comforted." Our comfort in the midst of trials is found in trusting that God is in control; he has a better plan for our lives than we do. In fact, our sadness can make us run to God for help, and remind us that our lives here
on earth are temporary;
our true home is in Heaven. The comfort that Jesus promises is partially for here and now, but ultimately we will be fully comforted when we see God face to face. The Bible says in that day,
God will wipe away all our tears and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain
(Revelation
21:4).
Prayer
"Dear Jesus, help us trust you with all the pieces of our lives—the good, the sad, and the difficult days. Help us remember that you love us and will work all things for our good. Thank you for promising to comfort us when we mourn.
Amen."
Copyright 2022 S.A. Keith -
SundaySchoolNetwork.com
Puzzle picture by Darrell Bush @Buffalogames.com
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