This Will Not End in Death

In John 11 a man named Lazarus is on his death bed in a town called Bethany. Jesus is 20 miles east near the Jordan River when he gets word from Mary and Martha (Lazarus' sisters). Listen to Jesus' response after hearing the devastating news...

"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.” (John 11:4, NIV).

It's easy to read this real quick and skip over it and miss it's significance. This is a truly amazing response! How would YOU respond if you got news that:

• Your best friend was about to die 
• A family member was in a car crash that might prove to be fatal 
• The diagnosis is cancer and it could be terminal

Most people would respond:

• In fear - that the bad thing will happen 
• In anger - that something bad happened in the first place and might get worse 
• In doubt - that anything will change/get better 

But not Jesus! Jesus responds in faith, not fear; in anticipation of God's intervention, not in anger; and in definite trust that God would move, not in doubt. His first response was to speak something faith-filled and positive. I love that! May God grant me the ability to be more like Jesus in this area of my life. Instead of assuming the worst until something good happens, why not assume something good until something bad happens. This would definitely be the wiser approach as research shows the vast majority of things we worry about actually don't happen.

When faced with opportunities or obstacles, may God help us to respond with faith and not fear! May we say with confidence "This will not end bad. No, it is for God's glory so Jesus may be glorified through it."