The Surprising Tear

We don’t know if this happened a few weeks or a few months before the Resurrection, but we do know Lazarus’ raising from the dead crystallized the religious leaders desire to seek Jesus’ death.

While their intense hatred was still mostly hidden from the public, Jesus was about to make his feelings on death and sorrow abundantly clear. 

Jesus’ close friend had died.  The two sisters, also good friends, were inconsolable.  Others there were wailing.  How did this affect Jesus?  He was “deeply moved.”  He was “greatly troubled.”  “Jesus wept.”  His tears hit the earth He created.  His emotions roiled for people He had knit together.  Jesus already knew this story would have a happy ending (John 11:4), so why cry?  Because He loved all those people there that day.

“Roll the stone away,” He told them.  “Lazarus, come out!” He commanded.

They had seen this from Him before – stopping funerals, reuniting families – but this was an epic finale! 

Yes, we have tried to be our own god, to pick our own way, to choose the darkened path – we deserved an eternity separated from Him and His love.  But he had different plans. 

The Lord loves you, He always has!

Prayer Prompt

1. Read – John 11

2. Contemplate – Spend time thinking about the Creator and Sustainer crying over those people at the grave site that day.

3. Confess – Pray for insight into ways you have tried to be god of your life.  Turn it over to Him.

4. Praise – Praise Him for His power over death.

Bold Prayers and Chariots of Fire

I’ve been struck lately by Elisha.  His mentor, Elijah, is much more well known.  Hello, taken into heaven in a chariot!  But in Elisha, we see something important about prayer.

As Elijah is about to be taken to heaven, Elisha keeps following him.  Elijah asks what can be done for him, and Elisha goes big and asks for “double the spirit of Elijah”.  (He told Elijah this, but let’s be clear – this is a prayer to God and a request only God can grant.)

Elijah said, “you’ve asked a difficult thing” – “if you see me when I am taken away … then you will get your request.”  2 Kings 2 records Elisha seeing the chariots and Elijah leaving, but a reading of the next couple chapters leaves no doubt this prayer was answered.  God worked through Elisha in amazing ways!  Go read it for yourself!

Lesson 1 – Pray Bold Requests for Your Spiritual Life.  It’s totally fine and we should be praying about our physical concerns, but a greater emphasis on requests in the spiritual realm seems to be one mark of maturity in prayer and more in line with what we see in Biblical prayers.  Spiritual insight, spiritual wisdom, and on and on – we should be praying for these, God will answer!  I’ve been praying a couple years for a deeper understanding of grace and the gospel – He continues to answer!

Later on in 2 Kings 6, Elisha and his assistant are surrounded in the city of Dothan by an enemy army.  Elisha is not concerned, but his assistant is quite alarmed.  Elisha told him to not be afraid, and then prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!”  Elisha wanted him to see what God was doing – and yes, God was at work!  “When he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.”  Lesson 2 – We need to Pray Bold Requests for the Spiritual Lives of those around us.

Prayer Prompts

• Every morning this week – Pray “O Lord, open ____ eyes and let them see!”  Fill in the blank for loved ones, for friends, and/or people that God is bringing to your mind.  Pray they see God at work, feel His presence, experience His love …

• Every evening this week – As suggested by a good friend of mine, pray Psalms 51:12 for someone.  “Restore to ______ the joy of their salvation, and make them willing to obey You.”  Fill in the blank with someone in your life that may be struggling or has lost their way.

Let's Pray for Our Churches!

Paul’s openings in his letters to churches we find in the Bible are so full of rich and powerful prayers! 

Using them as a backbone for praying can be such an effective way to deepen your prayer life and to ground your requests in Biblical truth. 

Join me in praying for our churches – Let’s pray all this month using this prayer framework from 1 Thessalonians. 

To the Lord 

I thank You, Lord, for your work in my church (vs 3)

• For all the work produced by faith

• For all the labor prompted by love

• For all the endurance inspired by hope in Jesus

Lord, You get all the praise, full stop!

To those who come in contact with someone or some ministry of the church 

• May the good news come to every last person!  (vs 5)

• And may it come with power, with the Holy Spirit, and with deep conviction

To those in the church

• May we all become imitators of the Lord (vs 6)

• May we become a model of love and joy, even in the midst of suffering (vs 6-7)

• May our faith in the Lord be known; may it ring out everywhere (vs 8)