Lessons from Lazarus

Tomorrow I'll preach the 3rd message in a row from the raising of Lazarus from the dead in the Gospel of John.  Those of you who know what has been going on in my life (and that of my wife Nicole) know that we suffered a setback this week.  Plans that we thought were God's will for us fell through and took us back to square one.  I've been on a quest during the last 15 years to discover how God wants me to glorify him.  When I was first starting down the road to becoming a minister of the Gospel I prayed, "Lord, make your name great through me."  It was the best way I could think of to ask God to use me in a mighty way without letting pride get involved.  Of course, in my mind, that meant God using me to lead a church whose ministry was a clear city upon a hill, or perhaps even at some point writing a book that would inspire and teach others.  I do lead a church, and the people there are God's servants, but we're not on a hill, we struggle to be a light in our small town.  I have written a book, but few have read it.

So how is God planning on using me to glorify his name?  The life and death of Lazarus points the way.  You see, Lazarus was a man of God, a friend of Jesus, but his contributions in life will forever be overshadowed by his contribution in death.  I'm sure it wasn't the plan that Lazarus would have chosen, nor one that his sisters Mary and Martha could have understood as they mourned his loss.  God's will to them was hidden; they had followed the Lord faithfully, but God hadn't answered their prayers.

And yet God did answer the prayers of his people.  The Messiah, his only Son, Jesus was here on Earth to show the make the way to God available to us all.  Lazarus was used by God for the noble purpose of showing those who knew Jesus his divine nature so that they might put their faith in him.  Imagine how many people in the last two thousand years have put their faith in Jesus in part because of how God's glory was revealed in the resurrection of Lazarus.  Nobody wants to volunteer for that role, but when we put our hope and faith in Jesus, we also put our trust in the will of the Father.  When we do, God will use us to make his name great, because we will help lost sinners find their way home.

I may not understand God's will for my life, and I wouldn't have chosen to take it in this direction, but the wisdom of God is at work because I have chosen to be God's servant, and he will make his name great through my life as long as I continue to follow him; and I will.