Tuesday Fifth Week of Lent
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Ezekiel 37:12-14, Psalm 130:1-8 Romans 8:8-11, John 11:1-45
Waiting…it’s hard.
In our microwave society, waiting for my iPhone to load the next YouTube video can raise feelings of frustration. In a few short seconds, my mind is asking, “What’s wrong with this thing? Why is it taking so long?”
In the Gospel passage of the Raising of Lazarus, Jesus allowed Lazarus’s sisters, Martha and Mary, to wait after they sent word to Jesus that their brother was ill. Why? Jesus said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” According to the scriptures, Jesus loved his dear friends so much that he remained for two more days in the place where he was while they waited. Hum, that’s interesting.
Like Martha and Mary, I’m waiting on Jesus, too. As a twelve-year-old girl, I saw a need to pray for my dad’s salvation. They were sweet prayers that my father, my hero, would turn his life over to Our Heavenly Father and profess his love for the Lord. Have you ever had a similar concern for a family member, a concern that is borne out of sincere love?
In adulthood, as my prayers continued, the Lord showed me that my dad loved to work. In order to enter his world, to understand him, and to be close to him, I started working with him and he taught me his business. God was faithfully provided many opportunities to share my faith, but this seemed to have little impact.
While I wanted my childhood prayer answered in the time it takes a YouTube video to load, even a slow one, God knew that wasn’t what I needed. I was waiting for good reason. I needed to respect the gift of free will, and I needed to persist in prayer. I needed to trust that God works in the details of our lives for our good. I needed to acknowledge that God is God, and I am not, and I needed to accept God’s perfect timing. Like Martha and Mary, I needed to believe.
When my dad lost my mom to cancer after 53 years of marriage, we walked through grief together and had many discussions about the afterlife. I saw him vacillate between moments of acceptance of God and moments of denial.
After a long and healthy life, my dad has become ill in recent weeks. The fervent childhood prayers continue as my dad nears the end of his earthly life. God blessed us with a particular moment of sitting together as warm sunshine streamed through a large picture window at the rehabilitation hospital. My dad asked, “Karen, will you pray with me?” His request was like music to my ears that made my heart sing; and, as in the Gospel, I thought, “Father, I thank you for hearing me.”
I can’t presume to know anyone’s heart or the destination of their soul for eternity, but I believe that God only keeps his people waiting to show the wonders of His Glory.
Is God keeping you waiting?
Karen Light is married to Joey and they have 6 children and 11 grandchildren. She is a real estate investor who owns TX Roots Salon & Spa and manages a family business. Karen is honored to train the altar servers at Holy Family and to serve on the parish council, the board of Pregnancy Resources of Abilene, and as a pod leader for Protect ABI Families.
