The Word of the Lord

Frustration according to the dictionary means something that frustrates. Frustrate means to prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire, to foil, defeat, thwart, oppose or disappoint. Frustration implies making an effort for something would only be useless and as a result this keep a person from reaching out to do what he wants to do or should do.

In John 11:1-44 is the account of the death of Lazarus. He and his sisters Martha and Mary were dear friends of Jesus. Many times Jesus and his disciples were guests in their home and there was mutual love and respect on both sides. The story tells us that Lazarus became ill and the sisters sent for Jesus to come. After all they were close and dear friends. They knew Jesus could heal him they had seen Him heal others. A strange thing occurs after Jesus receives the message to come to their home, He doesn’t. He makes the statement in verse 4 that says "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified."

When Jesus arrives Lazarus had died and been in the grave four days. Can you imagine how you would feel if your love one was sick, even to the point of death, and you send for the Lord and He doesn’t arrive on time. At least according to Mary and Martha’s time table. They just knew He would come when they sent for him because of His love for Lazarus. Yet Lazarus died. Jesus had not come.How would you have felt? FRUSTRATED? Mary and Martha had to have been asking the question why has He not come we called for Him.

When Jesus did arrive Martha’s first reaction when she saw Jesus was to say, if you had been here he would not have died. In other words, its your fault. When we experience frustration with life and things are not happening the way we want them to, do we blame God? Mary’s reaction was the same when she saw Jesus. But Jesus knew what He was going to do and had even shared with His disciples this was to the glory of God.

Here again we see the heart of Jesus moved with compassion when He saw them weeping. He feels our pain and is not indifferent to our needs. His ways are not our ways. With the voice of the One that death could not ignore He cried out, "Lazarus, come forth." "And he that was dead came forth."

Our Father knows what bothers us. Can we as His children trust Him in all matters of our life?  Is there anything too hard for Him? Have hope in the Lord, He is never too late.

Isaiah 32:17 "And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever."