Present or Absent

John 11:6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,

One of the greatest struggles for us as human beings centers around sickness and death. When someone is sick to the point of death we want relief. We want the suffering to end. We want life to return. That is the pull of our original design on our fallen nature.

Part of us knows that sickness and death are not the path we are supposed to travel. Just as there is part of us that looks up and shakes our fist and cries “NO!” when tragedy strikes, there is part of us that sees death and knows it is the enemy. We instinctively fight against it.

And this has been with us as humans since the beginning. Jesus’ close friends knew this struggle. Their brother, someone whom Jesus loved, was sick and dying. They do what any normal person would do; they call for help.

And Jesus hears their cry for help and what does He do? He delays responding. What? That doesn’t make sense. Why prolong their suffering. If you are going to heal, do it quickly.

People in this situation often see suffering as the enemy, as the worst thing that can happen to human beings. But suffering isn’t the worst thing that can happen. In fact, suffering can be a wonderful experience.

Although suffering itself reminds us of the frailty of life, suffering can be used as a means to a new experience of life and God’s presence. But suffering is often the most difficult place to find peace and security.

But Jesus doesn’t allow the suffering to go on forever. He does come and remedy the situation. Lazarus is raised from the dead. Joy returns to the household. Restoration bring more belief in Jesus.