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In that day you will say: “I will praise you, O LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. In that day you will say, “Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.”
Isaiah 12:1-5

Praise the God of Our Salvation

What the prophet Isaiah is trying to explain in our Bible reading today is difficult to put into words. He is a sinner standing in the presence of a righteous God. He knows that he deserves God’s anger and punishment. But something startling happens. God turns away his anger. Instead of punishing him, God rescues him.

Of course, Isaiah is talking about what God does for us in Jesus Christ. Jesus bore the punishment for our sin, and now, instead of facing God’s anger, we have full forgiveness and life everlasting. How does one express the amazing relief of that enormous load being lifted off and the sheer joy of that forgiveness?

Expressing heartfelt thanks to God for his salvation is what Isaiah is doing. You can almost see him running up and down the streets, leaping for joy, trying to tell people how it feels to be saved. Fear is gone, only trust remains. The Lord is the true strength of his life and the song in his heart. So, he gives thanks to the Lord by singing his praises and proclaiming the good news of salvation to everyone.

Listen to Isaiah shouting and singing for joy and join him in praising the God of your salvation.

Prayer:

Thank you, Lord, for saving me from my sins. It proves that I can trust in you and not be afraid. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of [Jesus] and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
Matthew 21:8-9

A Hero’s Welcome

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, a large crowd was waiting to welcome him. They spread their cloaks and branches on the road. They shouted joyful praise. They gave him a hero’s welcome. Yet, the question needs to be asked: Did they really understand why Jesus came?

It is a question worth asking ourselves. Do I see Jesus as a conquering hero? Do I see him as a long-desired king? Or do I see him as something more?

Yes, Jesus did come as a conquering hero. The victory he came to secure was not over an earthly enemy, however. His battle was against the devil, who sought complete dominion over us. His battle was against death and the grave, which desired to hold us in its gloomy darkness.

Jesus came as a hero to rescue us. He fought all the enemies that wanted to bring eternal destruction. And even though it meant giving up his own life, he secured the victory. Through Jesus’ precious work, we are free from the devil’s control and the fear of death. We are free from the power of the grave.

Jesus deserves a hero’s welcome for what he accomplished. He deserves even more for what he continues to do richly and daily. He also deserves honor, love, and praise as our Lord and King.

By faith, we acknowledge and live under his loving reign and honor and praise him for his victory. By faith, we can give him the hero’s welcome he deserves.

Prayer:

O blessed Jesus, I thank you for coming to rescue me. Fill me with love to trust you. Fill me with strength to follow you. Fill me with joy to praise you. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
John 19:30

Your King Gives a New Beginning

The best stories end with happily ever after. At first glance, we might say the end of Jesus’ life is anything but a happy end. His body was broken. His friends had abandoned him. His enemies mocked as the lifeblood of Jesus drained away at the cross. With one of his final, dying breaths, Jesus spoke. “It is finished.” His life and work had ended.

Or had it? When Jesus spoke the words, “It is finished,” it did not just mean “the end.” It was also a beginning. Because this was not just a man withering away on the cross, this was God himself speaking. He would live again.

When Jesus said, “It is finished,” he meant that his work was finished. He had accomplished exactly what he came to do. He was God’s answer to sin. He was our perfect substitute to pay for our sins because we never could. At the cross, we see an end, but we also see a beginning. A beginning of hope, a beginning of joy, a beginning of life. Jesus was right, a lot of things were finished. Separation from God—finished. A guilty conscience—finished. Loneliness, or the feeling that God could never care for us—finished. The fear of death—finished. Worries about what is to come in life or in death—finished.

Make Good Friday a new beginning. Stop living in guilt, as if Jesus paid for all of the world’s sins, but not yours. Where you have been weak in your faith, begin again to thank God for his forgiveness. Where you have grown complacent, begin again to see God’s great love for you. Where you have grown weary, begin again to see the strength the Lord provides. Where you have fallen, Jesus makes you brand new and bids you to begin again. Jesus’ death is for us in every way a new beginning.

Through Jesus, by Jesus, because of Jesus, we have happily ever after, because Jesus’ death was not the end, but only the beginning.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, you give me new beginnings every day because of your loving sacrifice. Help me begin again to love and thank you. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
John 13:5

Your King Serves You

There was supposed to be a servant there. Before the start of the Passover Feast, a servant should have taken water and washed the participants’ feet. But as Jesus and his disciples prepared to remember God’s deliverance of his people from slavery in Egypt, the servant was missing.

So, who would serve? Maybe Peter would take the initiative. He often was the first to act. Perhaps John, who was very close to Jesus, would sense what needed to be done, take up the basin of water and get to work. Or perhaps it should be one of the lesser disciples—the ones whose names we don’t know as well—maybe scrubbing feet would be a fitting job for “the other” James, or Thaddeus, or Simon the Zealot. But no one was willing to take on the task.

It was Jesus who took off his outer cloak, pushed up his sleeves, and went to work.

Bowing before each of those disciples, he poured water over their feet and scrubbed them clean, drying them with a towel he had wrapped around his waist—12 disciples, 24 feet, 120 toes, all scrubbed clean by Jesus.

Like the disciples, we too often prefer to be served rather than to serve. Having my feet washed by someone else sounds pleasant. Washing the feet of others doesn’t sound very nice at all. Sinful self-centeredness keeps us from seeing or desiring the opportunity to serve others, and by so doing, serving our Savior as well.

But not our Jesus. Without a shred of self-centeredness, the very next day, he would have his outer cloak removed and go to work once again by volunteering his life on the cross for fallen humanity. And through that sacrifice, he has cleansed not just our feet, but our lives, our hearts, our souls for all eternity.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for showing me your love in washing your disciples’ feet and washing away my sins. Help me serve you and others with a grateful heart. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:8

Your King Is Obedient

When my boys were little, my office was at home. One day, my oldest son decided that he wanted to act out the story of Noah’s ark. He handed out the parts to the “cast.” He was to be Noah, his mom was to be “Mrs. Noah,” and his younger brother would play the part of God. Sometime later, I could hear him calling out, “God? Where are you, God?” Apparently, his younger brother had wandered off, and as younger brothers do, wasn’t following the director’s orders. God wasn’t very obedient that day!

It’s stunning to think that God would be obedient to anyone. He created all things. Nothing would exist unless he allowed it to. You and I would not draw one more breath, and the earth would not make one more turn unless God himself allowed it to happen.

And yet God humbled himself. Jesus allowed sinful human beings to disrespect him, arrest him, mock him, and harm him. He could have stopped them and dropped them dead in their tracks if he chose to. But Jesus chose something else. To humble himself and be obedient—obedient all the way to death on a cross.

How far does your obedience to God go? On our best of days, maybe we can feel good that we were able to show God’s love to someone, to turn the other cheek when tempted to lash out, to turn away from some temptation that allured us. And yet, even our very best days can’t free us from the fact that we are sinful in our very nature. And then there are the days when we don’t act our best.

Jesus, despite his power and authority, became obedient to the extreme—even death on a cross. Jesus chose perfect obedience to his heavenly Father. Jesus chose willing submission even to sinful humans. He chose obedience all the way to a gruesome and shameful death. Jesus’ obedience was never half-hearted or occasional. Because Jesus obeyed, we have forgiveness. Through faith in him, his obedience has become ours.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for submitting yourself to the cross to save me. Grant me faith to grow in setting aside my own desires to serve my God and others. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9

Your King Comes to You!

I once saw a king. I was at the hospital visiting my grandfather when suddenly a massive gold helicopter landed on the hospital’s helipad. I found out later that the King of Jordan had arrived for his cancer treatments.

But I didn’t meet the king. I only saw him from a distance, surrounded by many intimidating-looking bodyguards. If I had tried to approach, access would have been denied.

How different our King is! “See, your king comes to you,” says the prophet. Jesus would have just cause in keeping his distance from sinful humanity. There was nothing we could offer him that he already did not possess. The world is his already. He created and rules it. In fact, all that we could bring is what he does not desire—disobedience, selfishness, lovelessness—all the many ways that we fall short of what our King would rightly desire and deserve.

And yet look at our King! Jesus did not surround himself with a dozen bodyguards to protect him from the masses. Jesus didn’t keep sinful, fallen humanity at a distance. He came right into the midst of us. He put his hands on the sick and the broken. He put eyes on the sinners and outcasts. He offered his heart to all who were crushed by their guilt.

And then he did something about it. He came with his righteousness. It’s who he is and what he does. Everything is “right” about him. And he came bearing gifts—bringing salvation. The righteousness that you and I lack and could never obtain, he freely gives to us through faith in him.

And he still comes to us. Through the Word of God, Jesus still speaks, still loves, still guides us. He continues to come to us—drawing us ever closer to him in faith.

This is the greatness of our King—he desires to seek out sinners. And more than that, he came to save us. Praise God for the King who came in love.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for setting aside your glory to save me. Keep me close to you through your powerful Word. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Matthew 21:9

Shout Out to Your King!

When do you shout? It might be when you are frustrated—like when the neighbor’s dog is digging in your yard—again! It might be when you prefer to shout, “Time to eat!” rather than actually tracking down every hungry person. It might be when your favorite player just won a victory for your favorite team.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, there was shouting. These were not shouts of anger, but ones of praise. “Hosanna” and “Blessed is he” were the spontaneous choruses that erupted from those who saw Jesus riding into Jerusalem that day.

When is the last time you shouted out to Jesus? Was it your weekly worship? Your daily prayers? Or have you been less than excited even when you do worship and pray? Or has it been a very long time since you have felt the need to say much to Jesus at all?

Perhaps you feel there are good reasons for that. It’s hard to be excited about praising Jesus when things in life are not feeling so praise-worthy. You may feel a whole lot more like shouting in frustration at God than bringing praise to God.

But remember this: Jesus shouts for you. When your conscience crushes you with the weight of your sin, Jesus shouts out, “My blood has atoned for each and every sin!” When the devil leads you to the brink of despair, Jesus assures: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you!

In a few days, the shouts of Palm Sunday would be replaced by the more sinister cry of “Crucify him!” But that was the price your loving Savior was willing to pay. That is worthy of our thanks, our praise, and even a shout of “Thank you, Jesus!”

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you are truly worthy of all praise. Please accept my praise and comfort me when I struggle to find joy to shout about. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Matthew 21:4-9

The Heavenly King Took Our Place

It is a sad reality that you and I sin against our God every day. Because we sin, we don’t deserve to be in heaven in the presence of God for all eternity. And the alternative is not pretty. But God loves us, his creation, and took action to change what we deserved because of our disobedience.

God, the ruler of all things, sent his Son, Jesus, into the world to be among us for a purpose. Instead of being an earthly king, Jesus lived a humble life and kept all of God’s laws for us. Then, even though innocent, he suffered and died for us. After three days, Jesus rose from the grave to show his power over death and the devil for us. Now you and I, by faith, can look forward to spending eternity in heaven because of our perfect substitute, Jesus.

Because of what our King Jesus has done for us, we can shout with the crowd on the first Palm Sunday, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” In our excitement, we exclaim, “Blessed is he who came in the name of the Lord!”

Prayer:

Jesus, may your Spirit work in me the joyfulness to praise you for being my substitute and assuring me of heaven with you forever. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Romans 8:15-17

Living by the Spirit

There is probably nothing more important to a child’s well-being than having loving and caring parents. When children feel safe, cared for, and nurtured, they tend to be more obedient, perform better in school, and learn how to build relationships with others. However, when children live in constant fear of a parent, just the opposite often happens. They suffer in school, have low self-esteem, and find it difficult to trust others.

God gave us life by his Spirit when he led us to trust in his Son, Jesus. This gift of his Spirit changed our relationship with our heavenly Father. The apostle Paul says it this way: “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship.” Without God’s Spirit in our hearts, we would fear God and have nothing to look forward to except his judgment on our sin. But the Spirit leads us to see Jesus—the one who became our sin, so that we could be God’s forgiven children. Right now, we can be confident that God loves and cares for us as we await the glorious inheritance, he has waiting for us.

This wonderful truth not only changes our future, but it changes our present. Instead of living as slaves to our sinful nature with nothing but death as our future, we can live as God’s grateful children, making the most of every opportunity to thank our Father.

Prayer:

Dear heavenly Father, help me to always remember that through Jesus, I am your dear child and you are my dear Father. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
John 11:43-44

By the Power of His Word

Does your word carry weight? Sure, there are times when I tell people to do things, and they do them. I can tell my kids to clean their rooms or do the dishes, and they will. I can tell my dog to get off the couch, and she will… sometimes. And yet, sometimes, it does not happen. The kids don’t always do their chores. And my dog defies what I have to say more often than not.

But when Jesus spoke, his word packed a punch. When Jesus spoke, amazing things happened. Once, when he and his friends were stuck in a furious storm, he simply told the storm to stop, and it did. There was another time when Jesus cast out some demons who were torturing a young man simply by the power of his word. And in our Bible reading today, we see that by the power of his word, Jesus raised a dead man to life. He simply told him, “Lazarus, come out!”

Why do Jesus’ words carry so much power and authority? It’s because he is the Son of God. He’s not just the head of a household. He’s sitting on a throne ruling heaven and earth. And what he says, goes.

That’s why I want to tell you about something else Jesus said. One of the last things he said, when he was dying, was “paid in full.” That’s what Jesus said about the sins of humanity—about your sins and mine. By his death on the cross he paid for them in full. He paid for them with his life.

Because our sins have been wiped out, you and I are sinless before holy God. And he sees us as his children whom he loves dearly, children whom he will welcome to our home with him in heaven some day. All by the power of Jesus’ word.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for saving me through your death on the cross. May I daily draw comfort from the power of your holy Word. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. . . So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
John 11:38-39,41-43

It’s Okay to Grieve

Sometimes, Christians might give the impression that when a fellow Christian passes away, we shouldn’t be sad. That’s simply not true. Jesus wept at the graveside of his dear friend, Lazarus. Jesus wept even though he knew he’d raise Lazarus from the grave.

Losing someone we love hurts. We’re going to miss making memories with that family member or that friend. It’s okay. It’s okay to grieve. I miss my dad. I miss my grandparents. That hurts. And it’s okay to grieve.

But the Bible also tells us that as Christians, we don’t grieve like the rest of the world that doesn’t have hope. Because we believe in Jesus, who died and rose from the dead. And Jesus will raise to life all who have died with faith in him.

To be honest with you, as a Christian, my grief doesn’t consume me. Sure, some days are tougher than others, but while I mourn my loss of not being able to spend time with my family and friends who have passed away, I also celebrate their great gain of eternal life. And I take the greatest comfort that I will be reunited with them in heaven for eternity.

If you’re reading this or listening to this, I want that for you as well. But more importantly, God wants you to have this comfort. And that’s what Jesus delivers.

Prayer:

Dear God, thank you for the promise of a resurrection from the dead of all who have faith in you. May this truth bring me comfort when I mourn for my loved ones who have passed. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
John 11:25-27

Life After Death

Benjamin Franklin has been credited with saying that there are two things certain in life: death and taxes.

Everyone you and I know is going to die. It is inevitable. There is no scientific discovery that can avoid it. There is no amount of money you have that can add years to your life. You and I are powerless to the inevitable. One day, you and I are going to die.

I realize that that can be a terrifyingly morbid thought. I don’t know what death will be like. I’ve never done it before. You would say the same. We don’t know what death will be like. But I know someone who does: Jesus.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus died. And his death had a great purpose! Martha knew who he was. She called him “the Messiah, the Son of God.” Ever since sin entered the world, it brought a terrible consequence: death. God did not create us to die. We die because we’ve been spoiled by sin. So God came up with a plan to rescue you and me from death. He promised that one day he would send someone very special, his Son, who would live a life without sin, a life that we couldn’t live. And his Son would give up his life so that you and I could live forever beyond death. Jesus promises, “The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.”

That promise brings me so much comfort. I know that I’ll eventually die. I might even die tomorrow. But Jesus has promised me life beyond death. And he’s promised you that as well. I hope and pray that it brings you peace.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for dying in my place and for your promise that because I trust in you, I will live forever in heaven. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

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Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
John 11:23-24

Words That Truly Comfort

Many people feel uncomfortable at funerals. I remember hearing a comedian quip that he read a poll which said that the number one fear of Americans is public speaking, and the number two fear is death. He laughed, ‘So that means people would rather be in the casket than give the eulogy!’

A lot of people don’t like funerals. And the reason I hear most often is that people don’t quite know what to say. ‘I don’t want to say the wrong thing.’ ‘I don’t want to say something insensitive.’ ‘I don’t want to compound their pain.’ Have you ever felt like that? What do you say at a funeral? Someone’s mother, someone’s spouse, someone’s child, someone’s friend, is lying there in the casket. The family is grieving and aching. They’ll have an empty chair at the dinner table during the holidays. They won’t be able to make more memories with that loved one. Death has seen to that. And death seems so final and scary.

Jesus had shown up at a funeral, and in a small interaction with a woman named Martha, whose brother had just died a few days before, Jesus gave her the words that truly comforted her! He said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” How could Jesus say such a thing? Martha’s brother had died. Isn’t death the end? Not at all!

Jesus himself died. He was nailed to a cross, and after hours of enduring the physical pain of execution and the full wrath of God, he gave up his life. But he didn’t stay dead! No, he walked out of his grave, and he promises that all who put their faith in him will do the same one day!

That is the greatest comfort that I have as a Christian. And that is what I share with those who are grieving the loss of a fellow Christian: They will rise again!

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, be with those who are mourning the loss of loved ones. Surround them with people who will comfort them with your promises of a resurrection. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
John 11:17-21

Where Were You, God?

“Where were you, God?” Have you ever found yourself asking that question? Where was God when your life was falling apart? Where was God then?

Mary and Martha’s world was falling apart. Their brother, Lazarus, had been sick. And this wasn’t just a bug that knocked him out for a few days. It was obvious to his family that there wasn’t much hope he was going to recover. But this family had a special connection: a dear friend named Jesus! Jesus had healed other people before. ‘Surely Jesus will help our brother!’ Mary and Martha thought. So, they sent word for Jesus to come.

But when Jesus got word that his friend Lazarus was sick, do you know what he did? He waited. And Lazarus died. What? That doesn’t seem right! Why wouldn’t Jesus sprint to the side of his buddy Lazarus and cure him in an instant? You know that sentiment from Martha, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

I don’t know exactly what Jesus was thinking and why he didn’t come right away to heal Lazarus before he died. The Bible doesn’t say. But we can have every confidence in Jesus and that he will do things in his way and in his time.

Everyone has those times when they’re waiting for God to show up and fix this problem or that heartache. And we can turn to God in those times because he has already fixed our greatest problem—our sin! That’s why Jesus came. He came to take the sin of humanity and die so that our guilt would be taken from us. And like Lazarus, Jesus walked out of his tomb so that we could put our trust in him always.

Prayer:

Dear God, you know what is troubling my heart. Help me to trust in you and your plans for me. Amen.

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