April 5 - April 11, 2020: John 11:1-47
Refresh: Pray to understand the depth of God’s compassionate love. Ask for hope in an uncertain world.
Read: John 11:1-47
Reflect: When I was a child my parents would sometimes start a contest to see how many favorite bible verses we could repeat. John 11:35 was almost always the first mentioned because if it’s brevity. But as an adult I love the verse because of what it reveals about our God. A God that abhors the suffering of humanity; a God who feels our pain.
As I write, America’s Coronavirus death toll is at least 16,697 and it is sure to rise. Every day we are bombarded with pictures of sadness and tragedy, uncertainty and fear.
This passage of scripture describes Jesus feeling the human pain of losing a very dear friend; the deep loss of someone close. He knows what evil is on this earth, but He also knows the compassion, love, and power of His Father to restore life.
“Jesus yells at death. He screams at disease .......the voice of Jesus booms against the grave. And Lazarus comes back to life....Jesus yells because death is unacceptable. And the word of Jesus wins. Life prevails over death. Love triumphs over evil.” -Living God’s Love by Alex Bryan
Respond: Who in your life may need compassion and hope today?
Research: Steps to Christ, Chapter 9; The Great Controversy, Chapter 42