Waiting On The Lord

1. The Strange Stillness of God

Our journey, today, begins in Bethany: (John 11:1-6)

> “Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha… So the sisters sent to Him, saying, ‘Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.’ But when Jesus heard it He said, ‘This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ … When He heard that he was sick, He stayed two days longer in the place where He was.” (John 11:1-6)

The one He loves is sick.

The sisters send for Him.

They expect His immediate arrival.

But Jesus waits.

Two days.

Long enough for the fever to run its course.

Long enough for life to slip away.

Long enough for hope to cool and questions to multiply.

We know this story, but try to feel it as they felt it:

the bedside vigil, the prayers that become sobs, the final breath, the quiet of a sealed tomb.

And still—silence from the One who could have prevented it.

Many of us have known that silence.

A test result that does not improve.

A child who strays further despite fervent prayer.

A door of opportunity that stays bolted.

You cry, “Lord, where are You?” and it feels as though the heavens answer only with echo.

Waiting is not theoretical; it is visceral.

It hurts.

---

2. A Culture Allergic to Waiting

Part of our struggle is cultural.

We inhabit a world that prizes the instantaneous.

• With a tap on a phone we can summon groceries, hail a car, or stream a movie.

• Our coffee is brewed in seconds; our clothes can be dry-cleaned in an hour.

• If every car in the nation were lined up end to end, someone once joked, ninety percent of the drivers would still try to pass.

This constant acceleration seeps into our souls.

We begin to expect God to act like an app: request, confirm, deliver.

Yet Scripture beats to another rhythm:

“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart” (Psalm 27:14).

“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31).

Paul writes of “waiting eagerly” for the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23–25).

The Bible never says waiting is easy.

It simply says it is essential.

Jesus’ delay at Bethany confronts us with that truth.

God’s timetable is not ours.

His slowness is not neglect.

---

3. Delay with Design

When at last Jesus spoke plainly to His disciples, He said,

> “Lazarus is dead. And for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.” (John 11:14-15)

Glad?

How can the Lord rejoice over loss?

Because He sees the end from the beginning.

He knows that this apparent tragedy will display His glory and strengthen His followers’ faith.

Jesus wasn’t thinking only of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.

He was also shaping the faith of His disciples.

In love He allowed the crisis to unfold so that, when He raised Lazarus, their trust in Him would deepen and His life-giving power would be unmistakable.

What looked like neglect was careful preparation.

What felt like abandonment was mercy.

I remember, as a boy, when a burglar broke into the hospital building where my father worked and where we lived. My childish fear was for my little chemistry set. My father cared about my concern, but his mind was on far larger dangers—protecting lives, securing the premises. I could not see what he saw.

So it is with God.

We view life through a keyhole; He surveys eternity.

We count minutes; He writes history.

What seems late on our wristwatch is exact on His.

---

4. Love That Lingers

Delay can feel like absence.

Mary and Martha must have wondered if Jesus still cared.

Perhaps the disciples whispered the same: If He didn’t rush to John in prison, and now He lingers while Lazarus dies—will He come when we need Him?

But Jesus calls Lazarus “our friend.”

His love never flickered.

Love and delay are not opposites.

The old hymn says it well:

> “There’s not a Friend like the lowly Jesus—

No, not one! No, not one!

Jesus knows all about our struggles;

He will guide till the day is done."

Mercy, not neglect, lay behind every quiet hour.

---

5. Glory at the Tomb

When Jesus finally came to Bethany, Lazarus had been dead four days.

Decay had begun; no one could claim a fainting spell or delayed heartbeat.

Standing before the grave, Jesus prayed and then cried with a loud voice,

“Lazarus, come forth!”

And Lazarus came out alive.

One preacher has said that if Jesus had not called Lazarus by name, every grave on that hillside would have opened.