When Jesus Delays — Trusting God in the Waiting (John 11:1-36)
Have you ever asked God for help and felt like the answer didn’t come soon enough? Maybe you’ve waited for healing, direction, or some kind of breakthrough—and all you heard was silence. You’re not alone. In one of the most touching stories in the Bible, we see that even people close to Jesus experienced this kind of waiting.
Let’s take a closer look at the story of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha.
A Cry for Help
Lazarus, a dear friend of Jesus, was very sick. His sisters, Mary and Martha, sent a message to Jesus, asking Him to come quickly. They had seen what Jesus could do. They believed in His power. They knew He could heal Lazarus.
But Jesus didn’t come right away.
In fact, He waited two more days before heading out. He told His disciples, “This sickness won’t end in death. It will bring glory to God.” That probably didn’t make sense to anyone at the time, especially not to Mary and Martha, who were watching their brother suffer.
A Dangerous Trip
When Jesus finally said it was time to go to Lazarus, His disciples were worried. Going back to Judea was risky. Some people there had tried to harm Jesus before. But Jesus made it clear: He was going, and He knew what He was doing.
One of the disciples, Thomas, said something bold: “Let’s go too, even if we die with Him.” That shows just how serious the situation felt.
Martha’s Honest Faith
By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had already been dead for four days. Martha came out to meet Jesus and said something that many of us can relate to: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.” Her words were honest. She was hurting.
But she also added, “Even now, I know God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus responded with something beautiful: “I am the resurrection and the life.” He reminded her that death isn’t the end when He is involved. He asked if she believed, and Martha said yes. Even in her sadness, she held on to faith.
Mary’s Grief
Mary then came to Jesus, and she was heartbroken. She said the same thing her sister had: “If you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.” Mary fell at Jesus’ feet, crying. The people around her were also crying.
Jesus didn’t lecture them. He didn’t rush past their pain. Instead, He was deeply moved.
Jesus Weeps
One of the most powerful moments in this story is also the shortest verse in the Bible: “Jesus wept.”
He knew He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead. But He still took time to feel the sorrow around Him. He cried with the people. He showed them—and us—that God isn’t distant or cold. He feels our pain. He walks with us through it.
When people saw Jesus crying, they said, “See how much He loved him.” And that’s true. Jesus loved Lazarus—and He loves us too.
A Savior Who Understands
This story reminds us that even when it feels like God is slow to respond, He is never late. He sees what we can’t see. He knows what He’s doing.
And while we wait, He doesn’t leave us alone. He meets us in our sorrow. He listens to our honest words. He cares deeply. He weeps with us.
So if you’re waiting right now, wondering if God hears you, remember this: Jesus didn’t ignore Mary and Martha. He didn’t forget about Lazarus. And He hasn’t forgotten about you either.
His timing may not match ours—but His love never fails.
John 11:1-36 (WEB)
11:1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister, Martha. 2 It was that Mary who had anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 The sisters therefore sent to him, saying, “Lord, behold, he for whom you have great affection is sick.”4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified by it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6 When therefore he heard that he was sick, he stayed two days in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let’s go into Judea again.”8 The disciples asked him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”9 Jesus answered, “Aren’t there twelve hours of daylight? If a man walks in the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light isn’t in him.” 11 He said these things, and after that, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep.”12 The disciples therefore said, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he spoke of taking rest in sleep. 14 So Jesus said to them plainly then, “Lazarus is dead. 15 I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe. Nevertheless, let’s go to him.”16 Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s also go, that we may die with him.”17 So when Jesus came, he found that he had been in the tomb four days already. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away. 19 Many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. 20 Then when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary stayed in the house. 21 Therefore Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. 22 Even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies. 26 Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, he who comes into the world.”28 When she had said this, she went away and called Mary, her sister, secretly, saying, “The Teacher is here and is calling you.”29 When she heard this, she arose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was in the place where Martha met him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house and were consoling her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”32 Therefore when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.”33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping who came with her, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled, 34 and said, “Where have you laid him?”They told him, “Lord, come and see.”35 Jesus wept.36 The Jews therefore said, “See how much affection he had for him!”