Lent: Martha

John 11:17-27

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Martha's declaration of faith comes before Jesus performs a miracle for her. She has probably seen Him perform many miracles and heard Him teach many times, but she has not seen Him bring back to life a man who has been dead four days. Still, she believes in Him and in the power He holds over life and death. So she declares her faith, not as thanksgiving for a miracle or in demanding to see her brother again before the final Resurrection, but as simply believing and choosing to trust Jesus.
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If "seeing is believing", then why did so many who saw this miracle choose not to believe? Martha believed first, and then saw the evidence for her faith. Sometimes God gives us reasons to believe and invites us to respond. But sometimes we need to step out in faith first regardless of the outcome. Christ knows how difficult it is for me to trust (anyone), so He has given me many proofs of His love and trustworthiness. Yet now with those proofs He asks me to trust my future to Him and the future of the people I love most in the world. I don't know what the outcome will be when I entrust each area of my life to Him. But like Martha, I need to believe in Him without further evidence. Sometimes when I do that, I find the problem I worried about is resolved. Sometimes my worst fears for the situation become reality, but then I find God's grace carrying me through and making the worst trials manageable. Either way I am reminded that He is trustworthy and I can use that reminder to help me step forward in faith once more for each knew potential problem I face.