A Wondrous Thing to Behold
John 11:4-6 (KJV) says:
4 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. 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6 When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.
In verse 4, Jesus said that the situation was for God's glory. In verse 5, we see that Jesus loved the people involved. But, in verse 6, we see that when Jesus heard that Lazarus was ill, He stayed where He was for two more days. Jesus didn't delay His trip out of cruelty, but so they could experience the glory of God in an amazing way. God did not make Lazarus sick, but He got glory out of turning an "impossible" situation around.
Although we go through things, God still loves us. When God makes us wait, we must understand that He has a purpose, and in time we will see His plan come to pass.
Let's go down to John 11:14-15 (KJV).
14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.
God will use our life experiences to grow our faith. Sometimes He even seems to pull back from us a bit, so we must choose to believe what He has said instead of our feelings. Even when we cannot see or feel God, we must trust God, and in time we will see His plan unfold.
In verse 4, Jesus had spoken and said that the sickness of Lazarus would not end in death, but that it would be for God's glory. Lazarus died, but the end result was not his death, and God was definitely glorified because of it.
Things such as sickness, death, or sin don't glorify God. However, the healing of sickness, the raising of the dead, and the overcoming of sin does give Him glory. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and the power and love of God manifested and was on full display. Through such happenings, our faith is strengthened and we give all the honor, praise and glory to God.
No matter how things look right now, remember that God will meet all your needs (Philippians 4:19) according to His plan, ways and timing. And it will be a wondrous thing to behold, bringing Him glory and honor.
