If I Hadn't - If He Hadn't

 August 7

"Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany,
the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
Therefore the sisters sent to him, saying,
'Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick.'”
John 11:1, 3

Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were personal friends of Jesus. But when Jesus was notified that Lazarus was sick, instead of going to heal him he delayed several days. When he finally went, Lazarus had been dead for four days. When Jesus arrived, both Martha and Mary were in mourning and cried to him that IF ONLY he had come earlier, Lazarus wouldn't have died.

Timing is everything. We know that Jesus lingered before going because he knew he was not sent to heal in this case, but to raise Lazarus from the dead.

When we do not see answers to our prayers, we need to realize that to answer our prayers God has to set up circumstances in order to bring about the answer. He's working behind the scenes. Unseen by you.

Think back on times in your life when incidents took place that you know were God-ordained. "If I hadn't been in that place at that exact time..." Look at the details of what God did to bring that story to pass. "If I hadn't..." "If he hadn't..."

Our stories create a foundation of trust, showing us how intimately involved God is in every detail of our lives. They lay a foundation of faith so strong that later when we find ourselves in circumstances that are hard, we can remind ourselves of what we've seen the Lord do in the past, which assures us that he has this one under his control also.

The stories from your past will establish your faith for the present and assure you that you can trust him - because God is FAITHFUL.