Home
>
Spirituality
>
For the Glory of God

For the Glory of God

One of the most touching stories in New Testament scripture is the gripping drama of two sisters and a brother; Mary, Martha and Lazarus. It illustrates how two sisters dealt with grief following the death of their brother. This story is so filled with meaning that John devotes an entire chapter to it.

Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived in the village of Bethany, not too distant from Jerusalem. Jesus was a close personal friend of Lazarus and no doubt He probably visited their home on many occasions. Lazarus' home may have been like a hospitality station for Jesus and His disciples on their frequent trips to the capital.

One day, Jesus received news that Lazarus was sick and his sisters were requesting that Jesus come to visit. Scripture tells us that Jesus did not drop everything and make haste to go see Lazarus. On the contrary, He took His time and lingered on the other side of the Jordan River for two whole days before venturing toward Bethany where this family resided. Nevertheless, Jesus did send a message to the sisters saying, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it."

Maybe you can relate to these sisters. Maybe your prayer and cry was the same as Mary and Martha's. Maybe you called upon His name and sent a word to heaven asking for the healing of your loved one. But, Jesus lingers and sends word to you that, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." How do you respond?

Jesus continues on about His business. He takes His time. He was not in any hurry to get to Lazarus.

There is an important insight that we do not want to miss here. It is simple truth; we cannot hurry God. God cannot and will not be pressured to work as we so will. We try all kinds of tricks and manipulations to get each other to hurry up and do what we want. But it does not work with God. God does not come running just because we call. It is so unfortunate that we are forever trying to understand what we cannot understand instead of just trusting God to do as He promised He would. We put ourselves through so much grief trying to access what is not available to us when we want it. We want to impose our time frame on God. So often we want Jesus to do things in our time but He cannot be persuaded or compelled by man. He works within the freedom of His own will and on His own initiative. Now, sometimes God will act immediately and other times we have to wait on Him. Mary and Martha did not understand the delay, the disciples didn't understand the delay, friends of the family did not understand the delay and we do not understand, but Jesus did. He was setting the stage for the great miracle He was going to perform.

We must also understand that how God works in our lives is not always meant to be just for us. Sometimes, indeed most of the time, God is acting with a purpose of demonstrating His power to those around us for His glory. We may already be believers, but maybe those around us are not. God will use our circumstance as a means of showing His powers in such a way that observers may be lead to believe in Him and call upon His name.

Well, at last Jesus appears in Bethany. Even before He met Martha and Mary He knew Lazarus had died. In fact, that was the reason for His delay. He was waiting for Lazarus to die. How else could He perform the raising of Lazarus from the dead? Of course, the sisters did not know this. Martha's adrenaline was flowing as she ran to meet Him and probably in an admonishing tone said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." A short time later Mary came and knelt at His feet and said the same thing, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Jesus was deeply touched by Mary's tears of pain and felt compassion by their lack of understanding and began to weep Himself.

You know the story. Jesus went to Lazarus tomb and called upon God the Father to raise him up and old man Lazarus got up from the grave.

But I think it is critical that we realize that this event was not so much for the life of Lazarus, or for His love of Mary and Martha, as it was for the glory of God and His Son. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead so men might recognize Him as God through His display of divine power. Remember, there were two groups who were present at the funeral of Lazarus. His disciples were present to witness His power over death so their faith would be increased and the Jewish people were there to witness His power over death so they might believe He was their awaited Messiah. He was performing a miracle of unbelievable power in calling the dead to life. This is clear because spiritually speaking; Lazarus was called back from life into death. He was brought back into the land of the dying only to die again.

It is our Christian business to glorify and magnify God in all that we say, do and think. The glory we give God is nothing less than our lifting up His name in the world, magnifying Him in the eyes of others, being advocates of His truth and living obediently by His word. For us, everything is for the glory of God.

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach which can be reviewed on her site. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, is expected to be available soon.

You are welcome to visit amen ministries: your soul's service station for spiritual refreshing, soul edification, browse our newly expanded mini shopping mall or review our recommended books you may want to add to your personal library.

Blessings to all!

Airbnb cleaning service Park Ridge ...

In The News:

Asking Siri to call American Express connected an 82-year-old woman to a bogus number that nearly drained $100,000 from her Bank of America account.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

iPhone Duo opens to a 7.6-inch foldable display starting at $1,999, but Siri Recap's ambient listening on Apple Watch may spark privacy concerns.

Homeowners association meeting minutes and membership lists can expose names, addresses and emails that scammers use to craft convincing phishing scams.

Lima, Ohio, has installed 3,120 floating solar panels on its Twin Lakes Reservoir, projecting nearly $10 million in electricity cost savings.

Amazon's Alexa for Shopping now lets customers verify suspicious emails, texts and phone calls against the company's own communication records.

Lindsey Brooke Isaacs spent 13 days in jail after a Flock camera flagged her Dodge Durango near a fatal Florida crash that killed three people.

AI-powered smart grocery carts are linked to 32% higher spending, according to new research, as Instacart Caper Carts expand across U.S. stores.

A VPN encrypts your connection on hotel, airport and café Wi-Fi abroad, but streaming catalogs and live sports access still depend on provider rules.

Gmail's Verified Sender Program launches September 8, 2026, giving U.S. political committees a more reliable path to your personal email inbox.

Elroy Air's Chaparral can carry over 500 pounds and fly 450 miles without a runway, and the FAA just tested it under a new federal program.

Bedrock Robotics says its autonomous excavators are doing paid earthwork on active job sites in Texas and Nevada with no operator in the cab.

A dedicated banking computer isolates your financial accounts from malware and phishing, but passwords, SIM swapping and outdated software remain risks.

The OlloNi SS1 AI robot pet uses a 4K camera and facial recognition to learn your family, but its removable Red Heart memory module raises questions.

Nine identity theft warning signs range from unfamiliar credit inquiries to SIM swap attacks that can quietly drain your bank account funds.

Robot.com's R-dog uses articulated legs and wheels to climb stairs and deliver packages, while its built-in screens display paid ads along the route.

MyChart phishing emails mimic real patient portal alerts with fake lab results and malware tricks that target Windows users across the country.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Google's Motion Assist places animated dots on Pixel screens to combat motion sickness in vehicles, but the Android 17 rollout remains limited.

Moving to a 55+ community can quickly expose your data to scammers and data brokers before you even unpack, putting your whole family at risk.

Amazon Prime Air drone delivery plans to reach nearly 500 U.S. cities by the end of 2026, but your yard and ZIP code may determine eligibility.

The FBI reports nearly $21 billion in cybercrime losses for 2025, up 26%, as AI scams make fake voices and identities more convincing than ever.

Uber teen accounts now feature live video streaming from the driver's camera, but encrypted recordings stay on Uber's servers for up to 14 days.

Router firewalls and software firewalls serve different roles in protecting your home Wi-Fi from unwanted traffic and suspicious connections.

A Chrome extension with 70,000 users and a 4.7-star rating began injecting fake update warnings after a threat actor acquired and weaponized it.

For the Glory of God

Spirituality