John 11:5-6 & Genesis 2:1-2- Slow Your Roll!
Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When he heard therefore that [Lazarus] was sick, He stayed two days still in the same place where He was. John 11:5-6
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. Geneses 2:1-2
Are you in the midst of trouble, waiting on a move from God? Has his delay caused you to doubt or grow frustrated? Remember that God takes his time. When Lazarus was sick, did Jesus go immediately to heal him? Did he speak a word from where he was, as he could’ve doubtlessly done, and heal Lazarus from a distance? But no, he delayed his response by two days, and the bible says he delayed not out of apathy, but his hesitance was because he loved Mary and Martha and Lazarus. By his delay he worked an even greater miracle for them, thereby displaying his love.
Look back to the creation of the world. God could’ve spoken everything into existence with one word, in one instant. Instead, he chose to speak several different times over six days, finally perfecting his work and resting on the seventh day. The bible says that at the end of each day, God saw that his work was “good.” But on the sixth day, God saw his work was “very good.” Though he could’ve created perfection in an instant, he spread his work out over time to make it even more thoroughly excellent. So we see that God doesn’t only delay his work in our affairs; he takes his time even when it comes to his own interests. It is simply part of his character to do everything in such a way that the utmost perfection will be had from it. When we don’t get what we want, when the answers don’t come quickly, or things are not perfectly as we would have them, we have to remember that God did not even satisfy his own desires (in creating the earth) all at once. Are you in a desperate situation? Do you feel helpless to change yourself or your afflictions? God’s delay in righting your problems is only so that when his answer does come, it will work even more to your good. If you believe that He is God, you must believe that He can fix all of your problems with one word. But if you believe that He is good, you must trust that his delay only means He loves you, and He is taking His time in order to do an even greater work in your life.