From Grave to Glory: Trusting God in the Midst of Waiting
“I am sure that God keeps no one waiting unless He sees that it is good for him to wait.”
C.S. Lewis
God is not absent in our waiting. Yet oftentimes, that is exactly how it feels. As temporal beings, we live within the limits of time, and our culture only intensifies that tension. We prefer speed. We want answers now. We want things to happen on our timeline.
My husband and I went through a challenging time in the first few years of marriage. Our first years were spent separated due to his military training and deployment. When we were finally reunited, we longed to grow a family together, only to have our dreams dashed with infertility, with no hope of healing.
Have you ever sat in deep grief or found yourself wondering where God is in the waiting?
Seven years into our marriage, still no children, we began pursuing adoption. The deep grief of Infertility hung heavy in our hearts. No hope of conception. Waiting upon waiting, with no end in sight.
Have you ever known the ache of waiting like that?
In John 11, both sisters of Lazarus—Mary and Martha—experienced the deep, excruciating pain of waiting as they longed for Jesus to heal their brother.
When word reached Jesus that Lazarus was sick, He already knew the outcome. He said, “This sickness will not end in death… it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it” (John 11:4).
Yet He did not rush to meet their urgency. He was not driven by their desperation or their timeline.
By the time Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days.
Martha—the planner, practical, take-charge sister, meets Jesus.
Martha informs him that if he had been present, Lazarus’ death could have been prevented; however, she recognizes Jesus’ authority, acknowledging “God will give you whatever you ask” (11:27).
Jesus encourages Martha by telling her that Lazarus will rise again.
Through much of the book of John, Jesus speaks in spiritual truths that no one seems to understand. This time, however, He speaks to Martha in physical terms, and she assumes He is referring to a spiritual truth about the resurrection. She does not understand what Jesus is saying plainly—He will resurrect Martha’s brother.
Martha is a thinker, not a feeler, like her sister, Mary.
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die …” Martha affirms her faith in Jesus.
Jesus’ nature is LIFE itself.
When Martha goes to get Mary, Mary expresses what many of us have felt in our own circumstances, responding in our flesh or thinking as we read this story. Lord, if you had come when we called, then we wouldn’t be in this mess, or you could have just healed him.
When Mary comes, her response echoes Martha’s—but her grief runs deeper. She weeps. And in one of the most powerful moments in all of Scripture, Jesus does something remarkable:
“Jesus wept.” (John 11:35)
God incarnate steps into human sorrow. He does not bypass grief—He enters into it.
Jesus meets each sister where she is at, and then He declares hope in the midst of loss.
“Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:40)
A reminder that God is working even when we don’t see it yet.
Jesus orders them to roll away the stone, and He calls His dead friend forth, “Lazarus, come out!”
From grave to glory.
We often want to bypass the waiting and the pain. But in doing so, we risk missing the miracle. Like Mary and Martha, we would choose immediate relief, but Jesus is after something greater: the revelation of His glory.
When we truly know the character of God, anchor our lives in the Word, and are shaped by a personal relationship with Him, we can rest knowing that we win no matter the outcome.
We stop questioning His timing or ways because we recognize some things need to die for Him to display His power. If He doesn’t choose to resurrect something we have lost, then we can still trust Him because He is good and trustworthy.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, NIV).
Jesus displayed His glory through the resurrection of His friend. What feels like the end to us is often where Jesus begins His greatest work.
For us, our miracles came through the adoption of our sons and in our 15th year of marriage, the pregnancy of our daughter. If God had naturally healed us in our early years, we would have missed two of the best and greatest gifts we would ever receive, found in our sons. He desires us to bring Him glory through our lives lived in surrender.
Prayer:
Lord,
As I walk through [grief, loss, or disappointment (name it)], first, I want to remind my Spirit and thank you for being trustworthy. I thank you that you are a good God, and because I love you, I know you will work this for my good. Help me in my unbelief. Increase my faith as I begin to rest in this holy tension of loss and hope. Thank you, Lord, that you are Hope. In your name, amen.
Reflection Questions:
Where in your life are you currently experiencing “waiting”?
How does waiting typically affect your faith—does it draw you closer to God or cause you to question Him?
Can you recall a time when God showed up later than you expected but in a greater way than you imagined?
Do you relate more to Martha (processing logically) or Mary (feeling deeply) in seasons of hardship? Why?
Have you ever felt disappointed with God’s timing? How did you respond?