"The Death of Lazarus"

  "A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. This is the same Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord's feet and wiped them with her hair. He brother, Lazarus, was sick. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, "Lord, your dear friend is very sick."

 But when Jesus heard about it he said, "Lazarus's sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this." So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days. Finally, he said to his disciples, "Let's go back to Judea." 

 But his disciples objected, "Rabbi," they said, "only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?" 

 Jesus replied, "There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. But at night there is stumbling because they have no light." Then he said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up." 

 The disciples said, "Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!" They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.

 So he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I'm glad I wasn't there, for now you will really believe. Come, let's go see him." 

 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let's go, too - and die with Jesus."" (John 11:1-16 NLT) 

 Just so you know, this is meant to be continued all the way to verse 44, but I have divided it up for a special reason, that involves God's timing, verses our unknowing. Something I think we seldom really think about, as we are not receiving answers or think that God does not hear our prayers. 

 Obviously, there is a little more to this particular story, because this has been taken so far out of text, the main reason for Jesus' delay, has somehow lost the light of day...

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35-39 KJV)