Key Text: Psalm 147:3 He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.
Life can bring with it difficult seasons that are sometimes heartbreaking. The feelings of loss, confusion, hurt, resentment, and grief are things that human beings deal with in their life journey. It gets even hard if there is no answer or solution to life’s circumstances, making the heart sick; Proverbs 13:12, Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. When I read Psalm 147:3, the Holy Spirit impressed me to read about Lazarus and his two sisters Mary and Martha. in John 11:17-29. Lazarus had died and was buried in the tomb for four days by the time Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus and his sisters lived.
The sisters’ grief and sadness were too significant that even when Jesus came, Martha ruled out anything positive from that event in John 11:24 “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” However, Jesus’ response in verse 25-26 was that “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die, and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Their experience looked hopeless, thinking that Lazarus was gone and they would never see him again. They hoped for their brother to rise again on the last day. I believe they had hoped he would not die; that is why they sent for Jesus when Lazarus fell sick, but he died. To the two sisters, all they could do was wait for the day they would see Lazarus after his resurrection on the last day, just as we do today when a loved one passes on, we hope to see them again in life after death. However, it is not always the case as we read further that Lazarus did rise, and Jesus said he was not dead but sleeping, John 11:14.
An estranged relationship may feel hopeless, the death of a loved one, rejection of a job application, terminal illness and other life’s trials may lead a person to feel lost and not know what to do. During these times, it is essential to have godly and positive people around us when going through life’s challenges because the presence of wrong people with negative attitudes can quickly derail a person to the point of no return. Wrong company pollutes the mind. We read in John 11:33-36 that Jesus wept when He saw how grief-stricken his friends were, and it so happened that there were some negative and ignorant people around who questioned Jesus’ ability in verse 37. Such people will always be there, but the best way to respond to their words is to ignore them. The old Hymn There is Not A Friend Like the lowly Jesus by Johnson Oatman (1895) tells us that ‘Jesus knows all about our struggles; He will guide ’til the day is done. We need to have a habit of running to Him continually in good and bad times.
After four days, the arrival of Jesus may have been late for those who knew Lazarus and even to us today, but God has never been late. He comes at the right time and turns things around. Jesus arrived at that time so that people could experience the power of God at work in verse 44; then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”. They already knew Him as ‘the man who opened the eyes of the blind man’ verse 37least did they know that He works in many ways and each situation is unique and requires a particular intervention. Our response to life’s circumstances matters a lot. Jesus understood their struggle with grief and the hopelessness of the situation that He wept. He understands what we go through and knows our struggles very well; more we can imagine. He mends the broken heart, He heals the wounded spirit, and He restores the lost souls. Today I present a challenge to you, the reader, to look to Jesus Christ and present to Him your case believing that He will come through for you. Jesus is the only one who truly knows you and what you are going through. He was able to turn their mourning into joy, and He can do it again for you today.
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