John 11:38-44 (NLT)
Jesus [was moved with compassion] as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”
Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”
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There were two key human actions involved in producing this great miracle. The first was more passive: having faith, even if it was weak faith, that God could transform all life and situations however complex they might be. In fact, when you read the full passage, you find that Mary and Martha’s faith was quite passive, enough to cause Jesus to be a upset at the weeping and wailing going on, even after four days! (vss. 33, 38) But the second more active move was the critical one: the people had to put their little faith to work by removing the stone! Think about it. Jesus, Who was about to raise a man from the dead, could certainly have used some spare power to move the stone Himself, but, no, He obliged the mourners to add works to their weak faith and roll the stone away! That’s the way it works. You have to believe that God can transform your life completely, but then you have to be courageous to do what you have never done before, because only then will you see what you never seen before. Believe in God and take a clear step of faith, and the miracle will happen! Pray this way: Lord, I believe that today You are beginning to completely change my life and that is why I remove every stone that has me entombed so I can walk in faith. In the name of Jesus, Amen! Have a blessed day!
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