Do I believe, here and now?

 S: John 11:21-27, 38-44

²¹ “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

²⁴ Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶ and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

…

³⁸ Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹ “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odour, for he has been there four days.”

⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

⁴³ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

O: Martha makes one of the strongest confessions of faith in the Gospels — that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, but she didn’t realise the immediacy of that truth – that in a short time, he would raise her beloved brother from the dead! So, when Jesus asked that the tomb be opened, she said “But, Lord, by this time there is a bad odour, for he has been there four days.”

A: Like Martha, I often intellectually affirm the power of God but tend to think of it in a less-than-immediate way. I sometimes live as though that power is only theoretical or reserved for eternity. It’s easier to believe in God’s eventual victory than to trust Him to move today. I often expect decay when Jesus promises life. My wife sometimes says I’m almost a practical atheist — I may not say God can’t work, but I live as if He won’t. A lot of times, I feel like the man from Mark 9, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

I affirm the truths of Scripture and believe in God’s power, but I haven’t personally seen a clear, undeniable miracle — nothing that couldn’t also be explained by coincidence or natural processes. I've had prayers answered, yes, but not in a way that forces belief. That makes it hard to live with the kind of immediate, expectant faith Jesus talks about. Like Martha, I say “I believe,” but when the stone needs to be rolled away, hesitation creeps in. Perhaps that’s part of why Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” I don’t want to just affirm God’s power in theory. I want to live as though the resurrection life is real — even here, even now.

P: Lord, you are the resurrection and the life — not only at the end of time! I believe; help my unbelief! Father, help me not just to know Your promises but to trust them in the present. Give me the faith to roll away the stone, even when I fear the stench of disappointment or decay. Show me your glory — not just in eternity, but in today’s struggles. Give me eyes to see Your hand, even in the ordinary. Grow my trust so that I don't just wait for resurrection in the future, but expect Your life-giving power in my present. In your powerful name I pray, amen.