Sometimes I think we’d like our faith to include a forecast. Go to Florida and expect sunshine, England and expect rain, trust in God, and expect blank, you get the point. It’s like this illusion that you’ve given God control, but it’s really only partial because you also have faith in how things will play out. 

A good example of this is when Jesus comes to comfort his mourning friends Martha and Mary. Their brother Lazarus is dead, and understandably both are upset that Jesus didn’t come sooner. After a brief chat, it appears that Martha has given her doubts over to Christ. 

She goes as far to say that she knows her brother will rise again, and that Jesus is the son of God. But notice how she changes her tune ever so slightly when Jesus gets to the tomb of Lazarus. In John 11:39 and 40 Jesus says, “Take away the stone.” Martha responds, “But Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” This interaction shows Martha is like a lot of us. 

She believes in Jesus, but there is an expectation to that belief. Whether it’s a bad smell or an unlikely messenger, when our faith is stretched we see God’s glory.