How to Have a NOW Faith
In Jesus’s day, it was customary to visit the graves of the dead. Before Christ and after Christ, loved ones were allowed to visit the tombs of the deceased. They could enter their family tomb and see the bodies, even if the bodies stank. This is not customary in our culture. You can visit a gravesite, but the body is off-limits. You cannot dig a casket out of the ground and open it. This, however, was what Jesus did when he arrived at the tomb of his beloved Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha. What happens before Lazarus is raised from the dead is what I want to drive into. I want to ask you,do you have now faith? In John chapter 11, verse 4, Jesus sent back word while Lazarus was still alive (although Lazarus was sick unto death):
When Jesus heard that, he said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” (John 11:4 KJV)
Mary and Martha had sent their friends to find Jesus and relay the message that Lazarus was sick. What amazes me about this Scripture is that Jesus sent word back to Mary and Martha. As I thought about this verse, it reminded me of when prayer warriors stand in the gap to cover a loved one. In their prayer time, they wait on God for a word and then act according to what God tells them. The people Mary and Martha sent to Jesus did just that. They received a word from Jesus and went home to tell Mary and Martha. These people were faithful friends and family of Lazarus.
The raising of Lazarus was meant to prepare the hearts and minds of these people for the time when Jesus would be resurrected. God needed his people to understand that he is the Almighty, victorious even over death. The Jews had many different beliefs, and some were contrary to what God was capable of. If Jesus could raise Lazarus, then they would believe in him. Jesus performed many miracles in his day, but this specific miracle was not just for Lazarus of for the people. It was to tell what was to come.
These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.”(John 11:11 KJV)
Jesus took his time returning to Bethany, which was confounding at first. He arrived after Lazarus had been dead for three days. But in John 11:11, Jesus was describing what would occur in the spiritual realm. When Jesus said this, he knew that Lazarus, according to the world, had died.
What happens when a “now faith” looks like it’s too late? In our finite minds, we would have come running to the rescue. We would have rushed to save our brother Lazarus before he died. Jesus shows us here that it is not our timing but God’s timing. Truth be told, no one likes to wait on God all the time. If we could have our way, we would save ourselves and our loved ones from every misfortune.
Jesus was always in one accord with God. Everything that Jesus did, he had seen the father do. This should cause you to give a hallelujah shout! But Mary, Martha, and their community were not shouting hallelujahs. They were heartbroken and full of sorrow—and they had a right to be filled with sorrow. Losing a loved one is painful. They thought Lazarus’s life was over. But can I tell you something? It’s not over until God says it’s over (John 11: 23).
Have you ever cried to God and said, “If you had just been on time, this would have never happened!” (John 11:21)? Mary did this. She meant well, and she was right, of course—if Jesus had returned immediately, Lazarus would still be alive. As Jesus tried to convey to his disciples that Lazarus was only “sleeping,” he realized they still had little understanding of what he meant.
God knew the hearts of his people. God needed Jesus to raise Lazarus in such a way that their hearts would be moved Jesus also knew that Mary and Martha had faith, but they did not believe that Lazarus would be resurrected upon Jesus’ return (John 11:22, 24). Jesus needed them to have faith in the midst of what seemed impossible.
God said in his Word that all things are possible with Christ (Matt. 19:26). Mary and Martha understood this to an extent, but they still could not grasp that Jesus could raise anyone from the dead. This was the fork in the road for Mary and Martha. They knew that Jesus could perform miracles, but they didn’t think he would perform one now. And Jesus wanted them to develop a now faith.
When Jesus raised Lazarus, the people were astonished. They were shocked, but they were happy. This increased their faith tremendously, and they knew, without a doubt, that there was nothing that Jesus could not do. We need to have now faith. Jesus wants us to believe that now, today, we are good enough to bless with miracles
is an author, writer, and businesswoman who was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y. and currently resides in North Carolina. She has written three books: Failing Forward into God’s Purpose, What’s Your Fish?: The Story of Jonah, and It Is Time. Her podcast “Let’s Talk: The Journey to Moving Forward” is in its third season and can be heard wherever podcasts are available. She encourages others in the Word of the Lord on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Photograph © Kenny Eliason, used with permission
