But Lord…

But Lord …

But Lord … Those were Martha’s words to Jesus. We find them In John 11 – one of my favorite chapters in the Bible! Jesus had arrived at the home of Mary and Martha after Lazarus had died. You know the story. Jesus stood before Lazarus’ tomb and commanded the stone be rolled away. And that’s when we see Martha’s protesting response: But Lord …

Excuses Start With: BUT

It would have looked so neat and clean if Martha had immediately and joyfully obeyed Jesus. But she protested. Do we do that? As a matter of fact, we do!

Anyone can easily put themselves into these events. And that’s easier if we don’t view Lazarus as the brother of Martha and Mary. See Lazarus as your greatest ambition, dream, or desire. And turning those ambitions or dreams into reality is beyond your ability. The dream may be good health. Your health seems to be failing with no hope of recovery. Or for someone else it may be a career that appears to be fading and dying. For others it might be a decaying marriage. And between your problem and the One Who can change it is something you don’t want to move. In Mary and Martha’s case it was a stone. What is it for you?

What stands between your problem and Jesus’ problem-solving power could be any number of things. The possibilities include:

• Pride
• Disobedience
• Self Reliance
• Prejudice
• Love of money

Jesus says the same thing to you and me that He said to Martha, Roll the stone away. And like Martha, we often protest: But Lord…

• I like my pride
• Obedience would be too difficult
• I really can handle this thing myself
• People like them just can’t be helped
• This will cost too much

But Lord … To: Yes, Lord!

Thankfully, there was more to the conversation. Notice Jesus’ reply to the protest:

Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

So the question for Mary and Martha, and for you and me, is this:

Do you want to see what you can do, or do you want to see what only God can do?

The But Lord … excuse obviously turned into obedience: Yes, Lord. The stone was moved and the miraculous happened. And isn’t that God’s pattern? The display of His power follows obedience, not our protests.

I wish I could say I always act in obedience the first time, choosing to see what only God can do. Sometimes I don’t get past: But Lord … Other times I take a step of faith, remove the stone, and let Jesus get to the problem. When He gets to the problem, He acts in amazing, miraculous ways. And that always gives Him glory!

Soli Deo Gloria! 

P.S. – I am a fan of Max Lucado’s writing. I wouldn’t recommend him to you if that were not true. If you’ve not read He Still Moves Stones then I’d like to encourage you hit the Amazon links in this post and get your copy. You’ll find blessings and challenges in the pages of He Still Moves Stones. There are some ‘stones’ that need moving right now. We still need mission volunteers for November and we need new members to sponsor pastors. Will you help? Click the HERE or the image to the right. Thanks!