March 23

Read: John 11:17-27

Devotion: 

When Martha presents her struggle to Jesus his response is to remind her who he is and ask if she believes him. 

I have heard a number of stories of people facing the loss of a loved one. Some witnessed their loved one recover, others did not. After both recovery and loss, some went on praising God, others did not. Of those who did, some witnessed a work of God in their life following their trial that they are convinced they would not have experienced before walking through their pain, with Him. 

By asking, “do you believe me?” Jesus is not dismissing our pain, He is assuring us that we came to the right place and we can now let it go. 

When our pain feels great, do we believe he is greater? When we want something dearly, does our desire come before our trust in him? Do we have peace despite trial because we believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God? 

When we place our trust in Him, Jesus makes our valleys high and our mountains low so that we are walking on level ground with Him. It will still be difficult and we can walk through it because we know He is with us. 

Reflect: 

Think over the past few days or weeks. Is there something you’ve been struggling to let go of? Or something you would rather not have had to deal with? Do you believe Jesus can handle it? Do you believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, regardless of what trial comes next?

Pray: 

Lord Jesus, give us life. As we let go of the dead things in our lives, the situations we cannot control, grant us peace. Give us strength to press on. For your glory! Amen.