A Heart that has Faith and Trust in God

This devotional series is called The Heart of Jesus. It consists of 28 devotions that are overflowing with God’s love for you. This is the second devotion, A Heart that has Faith and Trust in God.

A Heart that has Faith and Trust in God

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

“Jesus wept.” John 11:35—it’s the shortest verse in the entire Bible. But have you ever looked at the story it’s found in the midst of?

Jesus had been run out of Jerusalem for saying He was one with God the Father. He crossed the Jordan to where John the Baptist had been preaching. That’s where He was when the man from Bethany found Him.

The messenger had been sent on behalf of His friend, Lazarus, and his sisters. Lazarus was sick, and they wanted Jesus to come quickly.

I think it’s important to note right here that “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5. Even the messenger knew that to be true. He said, “Lord, he whom you love is ill” (John 11:3). And that’s what always brings me up short when I read this story.

As I write this, my son is serving as a camp counselor at a church camp in the mountains. Yesterday, he called to tell me a stomach bug was going around, and he had it. I encouraged him to drink fluids, but there’s not much else I can do from over seven hundred miles away. When he contacted me today, it was to tell me he hit his head on the way to the ER last night, and now he has a concussion and an upset stomach.

Full transparency: I wanted to go to him. Yes, he’s an adult, but my momma heart can’t stand it. So when I read about Jesus loving Lazarus and not going to his bedside, I’m a little thrown off. How could He stay away?

Of course, the answer to that question is recorded in the Bible. Jesus said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11:4). Jesus didn’t drop everything and run because He knew the end of the story.

He stayed until Lazarus had passed away, and only then did He start His journey back to Judea. By the time He arrived, Lazarus had been in a tomb for four days. His sisters were distraught and blamed Jesus for the death of their brother. And, yes, Jesus wept.

Related Devotion: Grieving at the Feet of Jesus

He knew Lazarus would rise, but His heart grieved for the pain his death (even a temporary one) had caused those Jesus loved. Nobody expected Jesus to raise Lazarus from the dead. Not then anyway. But Jesus knew. And He trusted the process.

I don’t know what you’re going through today, but I want to encourage you to trust the process. My son won’t die because I’m not there. And even if what you are going through is fatal, it’s still not final. Lazarus’s sister, Martha trusted that process. “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day” (John 11:24).

Jesus has a heart that trusts God the Father. Read more in this devotional series about the heart of Jesus by @_HeatherHart Share on X

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