Belief

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”

John 11:25-26, NIV

Often, I wonder what it would have been like to have witnessed Jesus at the tomb of His friend Lazarus. As you would imagine, Mary and Martha were overcome with grief at the loss of their brother. Upon Jesus’ arrival, it was clear that the sisters were grateful He had come, but were also wondering why He hadn’t come earlier. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21, NIV) Immediately, Jesus responded, “Your brother will rise again.” (John 11:23, NIV)

Overcome with loss, I wonder if they really understood what He was saying. Not only was Lazarus dead, but he had been in the tomb for four days.

If ever you have experienced a loss, you know how hard it is to make sense of life. Whether it is the loss of a loved one, a marriage, a job or even a dream, grief has a way of creating confusion and doubt. It can also throw us into a state of disbelief. When we don’t understand and can’t make sense of life’s circumstances, it is easy to throw our arms up and give up. When we find ourselves in that place, even talking to God can be difficult.

A 2007 "Time Magazine" article about Mother Teresa revealed that she, too, found faith to be hard. Writing to her spiritual director, she said, “… as for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see, – Listen and do not hear – the tongue moves [in prayer] but does not speak …” ^[1] 

Have you ever been in a place where you struggle with unbelief? You are so overcome with doubt and uncertainty that you feel like you have lost your faith? It is common in life to find ourselves in seasons like this. And yet, when all hope seems lost, we hear the words of Jesus that remind us that the darkness that has enveloped us does not have the final say. We are promised that in death there will be a resurrection. This is our hope and ultimately this is what we hold onto in times of uncertainty.

Wherever you find yourself this morning, find comfort in Paul’s words to the Romans, reminding us that whatever you are facing, nothing will separate from the love of God.

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

Romans 8:38, NLT

[1] David Van Biema, “Mother Teresa’s Crisis of Faith,” Time Magazine, August 23, 2007, https://time.com/4126238/mother-teresas-crisis-of-faith/. Accessed November 8, 2024.