God is Never Late BY Malusi Skunyana

Read John 11:21-25

JOHN 11:21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

JOHN 11:22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give [it] thee.

JOHN 11:23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

JOHN 11:24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

JOHN 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 

The Almighty God is never late, and nothing is impossible with Him. Even in the most desperate situations where no human being can help, when we turn to God we will discover that nothing is too broken for Him to fix. He is able to do the impossible. We may trust Him to mend the broken pieces, for He is the Creator.

In John 11 we find the story of the sickness and death of Lazarus the brother of Martha and Mary. The three were one of Jesus’ closest friends. So when Lazarus got sick the two sisters sent a message to Jesus. No doubt they had hoped that Jesus would come as soon as possible to heal their brother from his sickness. But Jesus delayed to come, and when He finally came it was too late – Lazarus was dead and was four days in the tomb. Martha and Marry, on different occasions, both told Jesus He was too late – “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” It does not seem like the sisters believed that there was something that Jesus could do at this stage. 

When Jesus told Martha that her brother would rise again, she believed Jesus was referring to the resurrection of the righteous at the end of time. Then Jesus made a statement which was meant to open Martha’s eyes to the reality of Jesus’ nature as the Son of God and a Life-Giver. He declared Himself as the resurrection and the life. He was the Creator who had brought man into existence and gave him life. But since because of sin man was now subject to death, Jesus was able to and would resurrect the dead. It seems however that Martha missed the point, because later on when Jesus wanted to go to Lazarus’ grave Martha reminded Jesus, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” (Verse 39). 

When Jesus got to the tomb He asked that the stone that sealed the tomb be taken away, and then He called on Lazarus to come out of the tomb. To the surprise of all who were there, the dead came back to life and came out of the tomb. This miracle affirmed the faith of many in Jesus as the Messiah and led many who had never believed on Him to believe that He was the hope of Israel. Martha and Mary had thought nothing could be done for their dead brother until the resurrection day, but the miracle showed them that God can never be too late, and that nothing is impossible with Him.

Jesus chose to perform this miracle in order to show that He had come to this world to give life to those who were condemned to eternal death. Jesus was God in the flesh and had come to give His children hope that physical death was not the ultimate end, but the righteous dead would be raised to eternal life on the last day. The resurrection of Lazarus was Jesus’ closing miracle as His ministry on earth was coming to an end. When Jesus Himself rose from the dead He sealed this blessed assurance that someday when He shall come again all the dead who believed in Him shall be raised to eternal life. This dear friend is indeed the dearest of all our hopes, that someday we shall be reunited with our dead friends and we shall see God face to face nevermore to die again, and we shall live in His presence where there shall be no more sorrow or suffering.

Whatever you may be going through today; no matter you have lost your loved ones; though things may be falling apart in your life; you may have experienced hurt and suffering; you may have been disappointed; but remember, God cares about you, and He is able to mend the broken pieces. Nothing is impossible with God, and it can never be too late for Him to intervene in your life. May you bring all your cares to Him in prayer, and He will take you under His wings, and you will find comfort and shelter in Him. Be blessed! Amen!