She had prayed but her brother did not get better. She sent word to
Jesus, “The one you love is sick.” Jesus did not come. As they waited for Jesus, their brother died. All hope was gone. This was the end. She was heart broken. Grief-stricken. Angry.

After four days of mourning, crying, grieving
Jesus, her friend,
Jesus who had sat at their table and told stories of how he spoke a word and people were healed,
Jesus who valued her and allow her to sit at His feet and learn from Him,
Jesus who loved her
Finally showed up.

Martha went to meet Him. She stayed home to mourn. She could not face Jesus. He had disappointed her.

Martha returned. “Jesus is asking for you.”

She got up. Ran to Jesus. Really, He wants to see me? As she ran to meet Him, she rehearsed all the things she was going to say to Him. “Where were you? We needed you. You were not there for us. I thought you loved us. How could you let this happen?”

But when she stood before Him, when she was confronted with pure love, her only response was to fall at His feet, weeping. Her anger turned to confusion and in her disappointment, all she could mutter was, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Have you ever been disappointed with God? You prayed, you believed, you stood on prophetic words, you obeyed, yet still
The marriage ended.
The loved one died.
The job fired you.
The loved one drift further into darkness.
The house foreclosed

And you like Mary can only cry and mutter, “If you had been here…”

But I want you to notice Jesus’ response to Mary. He didn’t offer her an excuse. He didn’t give her a spiritual platitude.

Jesus was deeply moved by Mary’s anguish. He felt her pain. Before He resurrected her circumstances, He cried with her.

Are you disappointed with Jesus? Run to Him. Fall at His feet. Cry before Him.

Let Him mourn with you. Let Him wipe away your tears. Take Him to the place of your pain.

Trust Him to heal your heart. Trust Him to resurrect your dead-beyond hope circumstance. Trust Him to restore and redeem.

You may not be able to envision how your circumstance could ever get better. Mary could not envision how Jesus would “fix” this. But He did. He is creative.

Give your heartache to God.

“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.

Jesus wept.”
‭‭John‬ ‭11:33, 35‬ ‭NIV‬‬