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“When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4 NKJV)
When Lazarus of Bethany, the brother of Martha and Mary, was sick, his sisters sent a distress message to Jesus, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” (John 11:3 NKJV). They expected Jesus to respond immediately to their distress call and come over to heal their brother Lazarus.
But contrary to the expectation of Martha and Mary, Jesus stayed two more days where He was before leaving for Bethany to attend to their request. By the time Jesus got to Bethany, Lazarus was already dead and stinking in the grave.
Did Jesus arrive late? Certainly not!
Jesus came at the right time when His Father wanted Him to show up at Bethany. However, it was not Mary and Martha’s set time.
Like Martha and Mary, we have often been desperate, demanding immediate divine intervention but never coming at our set or fixed time. Honestly, that could be very frustrating, upsetting, and discouraging.
I have also been in a desperate situation when I was seeking, praying, and believing God for a prompt intervention, yet for reasons best known to God, He did not show up when I had set for Him.
However, as in the case of Martha and Mary, God later showed up and manifested His power and glory when all hope seemed lost. At such a time, I could not help but wonder and ask, “Why did God wait this long before manifesting His power and glory?”
From the Scripture and my few years of experience in life and ministry, I have realized that God is never late in answering the prayers of His children when they call upon Him in faith.
God takes delight in attending very promptly to our desperate cries and needs. But we get upset and impatient with God because our time is not always His. Most times, our own time is always ahead of God’s time.
When Jesus’ brothers persuaded Him to show up at Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles at a time, the Lord would not be persuaded. Why?
Because His time has not yet fully come!
John 7:6-8 – NKJV
6 Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.
7 “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.
8 “You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.”
Afterward, Jesus went up to the feast (John 7:10).
One of the significant factors determining God’s time of manifestation in our situation is the glory of God.
When we are in desperate need or situation, we don’t care who gets the glory or takes the credit as long as we get what we want, but God cares about who gets the glory or takes the credit for what He does for us or through us.
God will not show up until the stage is set for God alone to be glorified in our life and situation. Therefore, the Lord Jesus had to wait until Lazarus was dead for four days and stunk in the grave before showing up to bring him back to life so that God alone might be glorified in the situation.
Although Mary and Martha wanted Jesus to come much earlier than He did, Jesus showed up at Bethany only when all men’s help and efforts to heal, sustain, or revive Lazarus had failed, and He alone would be glorified.
Therefore, Jesus had told Mary and Martha earlier, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4 NKJV).
As much as God is willing to attend promptly to your passionate and desperate cry for help, for His glory’s sake, He will always wait until you have come to the end of your self—your wisdom, strength, efforts, plans, or strategies, so “that no flesh should glory in His presence.” (1 Cor. 1:29 NKJV).
Until the stage is set and cleared for God to manifest His power and glory in your life and situation, God will hold Himself back.
God will never compete with you or anyone in your life for the glory due to Him. God always waits patiently until all those you have trusted to help you have failed or disappointed you before He shows up to help you.
God cares about who gets the glory, praise, or credit for what He does in your life, for you, or through you (Isa. 48:11). Therefore, you might not see or have it until God alone will inevitably take the credit for what you pray that God will do in your life, family, career, business, or ministry.
When there is still someone on the stage playing “God” in your life, the time and the scene are not yet set for the Almighty God to manifest His power and glory in your life and situation.
God is too big to share the stage with anyone or anything in your life. Therefore, you are responsible for ensuring the stage is set or cleared for God alone to manifest His power and glory before calling upon God to intervene in your situation.
Beloved, God cares so much about who takes the glory or credit for His miraculous works in your life or situation, and this is why He shows up much later than you expected when no flesh could glory in His presence.
The truth is this: you are the one who determines when God will manifest His power and glory in your life and situation. If the stage is set and cleared early for God, He will show up without delay. But if other people are still playing “God” on the stage, God will hold back until they have failed and disappointed you and exit the stage before He steps on the scene to do the impossible.
Prayer:
My Dear Heavenly Father, help and teach me by Your Spirit how to set up and clear the stage for You alone to take all the glory and credit for your works in my life, family, career, ministry, or business, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Our mandates is to preserve the faith of the Apostolic Generation.
Eniyekpemi Fidelis Oyinpreyebi.
AWH, Blogs.
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