There are moments in life when God seems silent.
We pray, but the answer does not come when we expect it. We cry out, but heaven appears quiet. We may begin to wonder, “Does God still care about me? Has He forgotten me? Why did He not come when I needed Him?”
But sometimes what looks like God’s silence is actually God’s patience.
Isaiah 30:18 gives us a beautiful picture of the heart of God:
“And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you… blessed are all they that wait for him.”
Our God is a God who waits. He waits to show grace. He waits to show mercy. He waits for us to turn our hearts toward Him.
Jesus Was Waiting for Mary
The story of Lazarus in John 11 gives us a powerful example.
Lazarus was sick, and Mary and Martha sent a message to Jesus: “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.” Yet Jesus did not immediately come.
By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.
From Mary and Martha’s perspective, Jesus was late.
Martha expressed the pain in her heart:
“Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.”
Mary had every reason to be deeply grieved. She loved Jesus. She had previously sat at His feet, listened to His words, and worshipped Him. Yet when her family was in great need, Jesus did not arrive according to her expectations.
Perhaps she wondered, “Why did He not come earlier?”
But Jesus had not forgotten Mary.
He was waiting for her.
God’s Delay Is Not His Absence
Sometimes we interpret God’s delay as rejection.
We think He is ignoring us. We think He does not care. We wonder why He did not intervene sooner.
But the story of Lazarus reminds us that God’s timing can be very different from ours.
Jesus could have come earlier. He could have prevented Lazarus from dying. Yet He allowed the situation to reach a point where human hope seemed completely gone.
Then Jesus declared:
“I am the resurrection, and the life.”
The miracle was not merely about Lazarus coming out of the grave. Jesus was revealing who He is.
He is the Resurrection.
He is the Life.
He is still Lord when our situation appears impossible.
He Is Still Calling You
One of the most touching moments in this story is when Martha returned and secretly told Mary:
“The Master is come, and calleth for thee.”
Mary had remained at home in her grief, but Jesus was still waiting for her.
She could have stayed away because of disappointment. She could have remained surrounded by her questions and sorrow.
But when she heard that the Master was calling, she went to Him.
There may be seasons when we also become spiritually distant.
Perhaps we once loved Jesus deeply, prayed faithfully, read His Word, worshipped Him, and gladly spent time in His presence. But gradually, other things entered our lives.
Worldliness may have taken our attention.
Disappointments may have wounded us.
Misunderstandings may have affected our faith.
Pain may have caused us to withdraw.
Outwardly, we may still be present, but inwardly, we may have become far away from God.
Yet the good news is this:
Jesus is still waiting.
He has not stopped loving you.
He has not forgotten you.
He is still calling you.
Come Back to Jesus
The message of this story is not simply that Jesus can perform a miracle. It is that Jesus desires us to come back into His presence.
He waits to be gracious.
He waits to show mercy.
He waits to restore.
He waits to redeem.
He waits for the heart that has wandered away to return to Him.
The same Jesus who called Mary is calling us today.
Perhaps you have been saying:
“Lord, I used to love You more.”
“I used to pray.”
“I used to read Your Word.”
“I once had dedication and a covenant with You.”
“But so many things came between You and me.”
If that is where you are today, do not remain far away.
The Master has come, and He is calling you.
Your Spiritual Life Can Be Restored
When Mary came to Jesus, everything changed.
The situation that appeared to be filled with death became an opportunity to reveal the power of Christ. Lazarus was brought back to life, and Mary’s life was touched by the presence and power of Jesus.
The same Lord is able to restore what has become spiritually empty within us.
He can restore your prayer life.
He can restore your hunger for His Word.
He can restore your devotion.
He can restore your joy.
He can restore your fellowship with Him.
What may seem dead to you is not beyond His reach.
Jesus is still the Resurrection and the Life.
The God Who Waits
Perhaps you have been waiting for God.
But today, consider another truth:
God may be waiting for you.
He is waiting to be gracious to you.
He is waiting to show mercy.
He is waiting for you to surrender your life again.
Do not allow disappointment to keep you away from Him.
Do not allow your past to prevent you from returning.
Do not allow the distractions of this world to steal the love you once had for Christ.
The Master has come.
The Master is calling.
Come back to Jesus.
Surrender your life to Him. Return to His presence. Let Him restore what has been lost and breathe new life into the places that have become spiritually dry.
A Prayer of Surrender
Lord Jesus,
You have been waiting for me.
You have waited through the years, through my disappointments, my failures, my distractions, and my distance from You.
Forgive me for allowing other things to come between us.
Restore my first love.
Restore my prayer life.
Restore my hunger for Your Word.
Restore my devotion and fellowship with You.
I am coming back to You, Lord.
You are waiting to be gracious to me. You are waiting to show me mercy.
I surrender my life to You again.
Let every spiritual emptiness, every sorrow, and everything that has drawn me away from You be removed.
Restore me, redeem me, and bring me back into deeper fellowship with You.
**Jesus, I am coming to You.
Amen.**
