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All to the Glory of God
Andrea Lende • November 3, 2020
John 11:4
All to the Glory of God
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/All-to-the-Glory-of-God-elvomv
John 11:4
“When Jesus received the message, He said, This sickness is not to end in death; but [on the contrary] it is to honor God and to promote His glory that the Son of God may be glorified through (by) it.”
Jesus’ response when He heard that Lazarus was sick was “this sickness is not to end in death”.
The people didn’t really know what He was talking about.
They heard the same message about Lazarus being ill.
But they had no idea Jesus had a plan to bring him back to life once he had died of the sickness.
Jesus didn’t divulge His plan.
He didn’t tell them He was going to specifically wait until the death of His friend before He would go to him.
And Jesus didn’t send word back to the sisters of Lazarus assuring them everything would be ok.
He didn’t let them in on His secret.
A somewhat lavish plan to wait until Lazarus died, go to them, and then go to the grave to raise him from the dead.
He simply let the death happen.
He let the family bury His friend.
He was quiet.
His plan was to glorify God in the magnificence of the miracle He would perform.
He knew this situation was set up perfectly for a miracle.
There have been times - during my most difficult times - when I felt the Lord was quiet and almost absent from my circumstances.
Day after day moved on and I did not see Him working to deliver me.
Everything stayed the same or became even more grave.
However, He had a plan.
He brought me through those difficulties.
And He strengthened me through them.
He showed Himself faithful to me on the other side of the miracle.
He grew my faith and belief in Him.
He showed me His love and deep devotion to me.
As a result, I grew to love Him more than I had prior to those difficulties.
I grew closer to the Lord in all ways.
He showed me His glory and wonder and has been able to use me for His glory on the other side of those quiet and difficult days.
Trials still come, but my faith has grown so that I now rely completely on Him.
I know He is the Redeemer of my soul and all I will face on this earth.
Today I choose to praise the Lord through the difficulties and trials I face as I know He will deliver me in His timing and to His glory.
May you find the Lord is working in your circumstances for His glory even if He seems quiet.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for working in all of my circumstances even when You seem to be far away from me. Thank You, Father, for working through me for Your glory. Increase my faith even more so I may be used to glorify Your name. You are greatly to be praised! I praise You, Lord, even in the dark times. You are the Light that pierces the darkness. You are the love that fills my heart when all hope is gone. You are the strength in me when I cannot stand. You are more than merciful and shower me in Your grace. Thank You for continually forgiving my shortcomings and inadequacies. Help me grow into the person You desire me to be. May Your will be done, Father. Help me be obedient to You so I allow Your full will to be done in my life. Help me step out of the way and let You work out all things to Your glory. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM the Great I AM, and My will is done to glorify My name.
Response: I praise You, Father, and worship Your Holy Name.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.