Day 15 | John 10:40–11:27
Read John 10:40–11:27
We’ve seen earlier in the experience of the blind man that God can use disabilities and hardships for His own
glory. But can He, and does He, do the same with even death? The death of the ones we love? The death of the ones He loves? It’s clear from this passage that nothing is beyond God’s plan and control.
Martha, understandably filled with grief, confronts Jesus, saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother
wouldn’t have died” (11:21). She, like many of us, struggles to understand why Jesus did not intervene sooner and prevent Lazarus’s death. However, Jesus responds with a promise: “Your brother will rise again” (11:23). Though Martha believes in the future resurrection, Jesus redirects her focus to the present, revealing, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live” (11:25).
Through Lazarus’s death, Jesus is setting the stage for a greater revelation of God’s power and purpose. Lazarus’s illness and death were not meaningless; they were part of a divine plan to display God’s glory and
strengthen the faith of those who witnessed what was about to happen. Jesus even said earlier, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (11:4).
In this story, we learn that God often allows suffering, not as punishment or neglect, but as a means to grow our faith. While it’s natural to question why hardship comes, Jesus shows that in our darkest moments, He is present, ready to reveal Himself in ways that deepen our belief in Him.
When faced with pain or loss, we are invited to trust in God’s greater plan. Just as Jesus turned a situation of death into a testimony of life, He uses our struggles to draw us closer to Him, to strengthen our faith, and to reveal His glory. Trust that your suffering has purpose and can lead to a greater revelation of God’s love and power.
Begin praying with Psalm 119:71:
“It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I could learn your statutes.”