“So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick.'” John 11:3
The other day during a time of prayer, I noticed something about my prayers. I was bringing the concerns and cares of my heart to Him, but I was not simply leaving the concerns and cares with Him. I was bringing those issues and then I was proceeding to tell God how He could best address those situations. It was as though I, as a frail human being, knew better than God how He could glorify Himself through my circumstances. Sounds pretty silly doesn’t it? As I realized what I was doing, I began to look back to find out when it began. Honestly, I have no real idea when I began trying to tell God what to do rather than simply trusting Him. I expect that if you look honestly at your prayer life, you may very well be doing the same thing that I was. I wonder though what our lives might look like if we simply handed our circumstances over to Jesus and let Him handle them as He sees fit.
In the verse quoted above we have a wonderful example of how to place everything in His hands. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus all had a special relationship with Jesus so when Lazarus became very ill it was no surprise that they sought out Jesus’ help. But the interesting thing about their request is that there really is no request. They simply presented their difficult and frightening circumstance to Jesus and awaited His response. Certainly, there is a request to come and help implied in their message. But their request does not include any specific instructions or information. They simply wanted to be certain that Jesus knew that they were trusting Him whatever the circumstance. They were certain of Jesus’ love for them. They were certain of the severity of Lazarus’ health. But they chose to trust Jesus’ love more than their understanding of the circumstance. I wonder, upon which do you and I choose to focus? Do we focus on the unchanging and all-encompassing love of Jesus Christ or do we focus on our changing circumstances? Circumstances always change; it is simply a part of living. But the love of Jesus will never change; it is simply part of who He is. I don’t presume to know the circumstance you currently experience. Perhaps your circumstance is wonderful. Perhaps it is the polar opposite. Regardless of your circumstance you can rest assured that God loves you and you can trust your circumstance to Him.
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