04192026 Unusual Love

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our loving God. There is no person who loves us with the same incredible love that God has for us. Even so, whether it is from God or from people, we sometimes struggle to understand and appreciate all the demonstrations of that love.

The author of the gospel of John (John the apostle, as he was led by the Holy Spirit) tells us, “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus” (John 11:5). This commentary is for the benefit of the readers. Everyone who was present in the story already knew that Jesus loved these three individuals. When the sisters sent their message to Jesus, they worded it in those very terms: “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick” (v. 3). The Jews who had gathered to mourn watched Jesus at the tomb and observed, “Behold, how he loved him!” (v. 36).

So Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters. How then did He respond to their appeal? Oddly, the declaration of love in verse 5 is followed by the response prompted by that motive. “When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was” (v. 6). If we simplify the thoughts of the two verses, we arrive at something like this: Jesus loved them, so when He heard Lazarus was sick, He waited two days. That does not seem to make sense to us. We would want to say “Jesus loved them, so when He heard Lazarus was sick, He rushed to their side” or “He healed him from afar.”

Why did Jesus wait? Actually, given the time factor in the story, it is quite likely that Lazarus was already dead before the messengers reached Jesus. Certainly, there was insufficient time for Jesus to walk there by normal means and reach Lazarus in time. (He waited only two days, but Lazarus had been buried for four days.)

Ironically, Jesus did not need the sister’s messenger. He already knew Lazarus’ condition. In verse 14, He informs the disciples that Lazarus was dead, which Jesus knew only in His divine knowledge. No one had told Him that. So if He had wanted to, Jesus could have arrived without an invitation, showing up just in time to prevent Lazarus from dying in the first place!

So if Jesus loved them, why did He allow Lazarus to die? Why did He wait? As in any situation in our lives, it would be impossible for us to know in this particular situation all of the reasons for God’s actions (or inactions). But this passage does give some insight.

In verse 4, Jesus declares that “this sickness is … for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” In verse 15, He tells the disciples, “I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe.” Jesus used Lazarus’ death to teach about resurrection in verses 23-26. Jesus used the situation to reiterate His divine mission in verses 41-42.

Reading between the lines, we can add to these insights. We know that Mary and Martha ended up with a far greater demonstration of Jesus’ glory and power by the resurrection of Lazarus than they would have by his healing. Imagine living the rest of their lives with the memory of this experience! The same was true for the disciples; their faith was strengthened. Many of the Jews believed on Jesus because of this event (verse 35).

In fact, the resurrection of Lazarus, so powerful and so dramatic, was probably the last big “revival” before Jesus’ death. As close as He was to His death, Jesus still wanted to reach as many people as possible with His truth. Sadly, we see the chief priests and Pharisees respond to this by gathering a council and intensifying their pursuit of Jesus’ death (vs. 47-53).

It was only a matter of days before this plan surged forward in Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion. Unlike all the other times when Jesus declared, “My time has not yet come,” in this case, His time had come. The resurrection of Lazarus was the catalyst. But Jesus had to wait two days, so that the greater-than-impossible situation was reached – of someone in the grave for four days.

When difficulty or even tragedy comes into our lives, we cannot think it is because God does not love us. That is never true. On the contrary, it is precisely because of His love that He takes the steps He does. He will work His plan and be glorified. He will sustain us and show His glory to us, often giving us deep anchors that will carry us through the rest of our lives. Very often He will use our experience to strengthen the faith or to challenge believers around us. It is reasonable that He wants to draw unbelievers to Himself through our experience. And ultimately, God is working His great plan for the ages, and sometimes that involves smaller plans within our lives. We don’t see the big picture, but God does.

When God delays to answer our prayers or to intervene, does He still love us? Absolutely! When He gives an answer that is different than what we desired, does He still love us? Unquestionably! When we are disappointed by God’s responses, is He still working on our behalf and for His glory? Guaranteed! While we may not understand, we can and must rest in the loving plan of God, which in the end will be best for us, best for those around, and best for God Himself.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA 

04112026 Living Water

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the Living Water, who can quench the deepest thirst of every man.

“Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water” (John 4:10).

Our church had a baptismal service on Sunday, in which two women were baptized, both of whom were saved as adults. One came from a broken home and a history of feeling something was missing, and the other came out of Catholicism and the emptiness of religion vs. relationship. Based on their testimonies, I think both would acknowledge the truth of the above verse. Their souls were thirsty, and God gave them satisfaction.

Not for the first time, I was reminded of my own “boring” testimony. I grew up in a Christian home, and I believe a made a childhood profession, but if so, I did not clearly recall it. After years of doubts, I was saved (or became assured of my salvation) at the age of thirteen.

Many times I have heard stories similar to my own. I believe the vast majority of Christians I have known share similar testimonies; they grew up in Christian homes and in good churches, and salvation was a matter of time. They always knew the truth, and it was a question of when they would make it personal. They, like me, were not rescued from a life of spiritual squalor or deep angst. Certainly, some of them were more aware than others of the emptiness in their souls, and in reality, we did have empty souls, but the intensity of that emptiness was well-masked by the relatively protected and truth-filled environments in which we grew up.

As a result, I find some challenge in sensing the meaning of certain hymns. For example, “All my life long I had panted for a draught from some cool spring, that I hoped would quench the burning of the thirst I felt within. Hallelujah! I have found Him whom my soul so long has craved! Jesus satisfies my longings; through His life I now am saved.”

God interacts personally in drawing each person to Himself, and recent pondering has led me to appreciate how special even “boring” testimonies are. Here are some of my thoughts. The Halfway Covenant of the 1600s allowed unconverted children of church members to be baptized and become church members. This led to a church membership that appeared healthy but was actually weak. The church was diluted; compromise and worldliness crept in. Many of the great revivals, including the Great Awakening, were in response to these situations of seeking to truly win people who claimed to be Christians.

Anecdotally, I have heard that it can be tough for Christianity to last more than three generations. The first generation, rescued from the world, is fervent for Christ. The second generation is solid and firmly established. The third generation finds Christianity to be routine. They did not personally experience the great rescue, and they did not see it second-hand (as children in the home). There is nothing dynamic to make them choose what has always been chosen for them. So we all know people that have walked away from Christianity under scenarios similar to that.

Why do those people say they walked away? Often it is because of hypocrisy in the church or because of experiencing pain due to the failures of Christians around them, either their parents or church leaders. Here’s the reality – none of us are perfect. Someone who grows up surrounded by Christianity is going to have plenty of chances to see examples of hypocrisy and is going to experience the pain of failure by others. From that aspect, the young generation has a high level of risk for falling away. Growing up in the blessed environment that they do, they don’t often experience that great soul thirst, and it is easy for them to become disillusioned when “what they have always known” is less than perfect. They don’t have a compelling passion to seek God when they don’t sense their thirst, as someone lost in the mire of the world might.

My conclusion is that it is no simple matter for church-raised children to accept Christ. There is nothing routine or boring about it. It is a work of God’s drawing and of divine grace that enables these young ones to make a true profession and passionately claim Christ.

Having said all that, I’m not in any way diminishing the powerful testimony and impact of those who are saved more dramatically. Families’ stories of redemption have to start with someone. And it is amazing and encouraging to see how greatly God can transform a life. We need people to be saved from those scenarios. But we also need the children and grandchildren to be saved. There is such possibility for stability and strength in the church when we have generations that are taught right from the beginning, rather than having to constantly start over with instruction and discipleship. If the second and third generations are not coming to Christ, that is certainly reason for concern.

Maybe this seemed like a bunch of rambling. It’s not meant to be that. It is some personal reflection, but it is also a call to praise God for every single convert. Praise God for the ones who are saved when their life situations may have made them seem like unlikely candidates! And praise God for the ones who are saved when their familiarity and potential contempt for Christianity might have held them back from a personal decision! Thank God that He is able to work in every possible dynamic to draw men to Himself. May He continue His good work. There is hope for all, because God’s invitation is for all.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

04052026 Only God

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God who can do what absolutely no one else can do!

This week I considered this verse from Micah 4:3. “And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

There are world leaders, supported by armies and sometimes by diplomacy, that have helped to bring the end to certain wars. But men always rise up to fight again. New wars arise. World War I was called “the war to end all wars,” yet just twenty-one years later, the world was embroiled in a new war far more devastating than the first. This story has repeated itself on smaller scales over and over again.

The truth is that no human leader will be able to bring a final end to wars and fighting. But God will! When He establishes His peaceful reign, there will never again be war.

That’s not the only thing God can do that no one else can do. God created the heavens and the earth, along with all forms of life. God controls the weather, with the Flood being an extreme example. Modern man is desperate to protect the planet, but God is the one who sustains His creation and holds it together. God has done miraculous works, such as healing hopeless conditions, causing barren women to conceive, and even raising people from the dead.

On the spiritual level, God also does what man can never do. God provides a solution of salvation for hopelessly lost mankind. God transforms lives by making men into new creations with new hearts. God powerful convicts and guides people through what looks like mere printed words on a page, but which in reality is the living Word of God.

When it comes to eternity, God will continue to do what man cannot do. He has prepared an eternal home called heaven. He will execute “space travel” on the most incredible level through the rapture. He will establish an earthly government that controls the entire globe, in which all nations and citizens will be submissive. He will put an end to all evil. He actually will destroy the earth, which in spite of man’s fears, they could never destroy to the extent that God will.

Today we celebrate something else that man could never do. In the full picture, we have a virgin birth with a child whose real Father is God Himself. We have a perfectly sinless life, and we have a substitutionary sacrifice that will cover the sins of every human in history who chooses to accept it. But then – what a wonder – we have Someone who raised Himself from the dead after being in the tomb for three days!

With all these impossible-except-for-God actions on the grandest scale, we can certainly rest in His ability to do difficult things in our own lives and on much smaller scales. God can do what no one else can do!

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA