Day 24: John 11:17-27

In verses 21 and 22 Martha says to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” That phrase caught my attention. Martha is mourning. Her brother has died. There’s got to be some resentment towards Jesus. They had sent for him in plenty of time for him to come and heal Lazarus before he died, but Jesus hadn’t come.

“But even now..” Even after my prayers weren’t answered the way I thought they should have been. Even now after you were silent when I called on you. Even now in my hurt. Even now in my doubt. Even now in my mourning. Even now I know that you still answer prayers.

It reminds me of a verse in Lamentations. The whole book of Lamentations is exactly what it sounds like. It is the prophet Jeremiah crying out to God in his grief over the destruction of Jerusalem and the defeat of his people. In chapter three he writes, “He has made me chew on gravel. He has rolled me in the dust. Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease.”

Can you still hope in the midst of your grief? Can you still trust “even now”? Remember, it doesn’t matter how dark it is, how bad your situation may seem, “the faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease.”