The scene at Bethany was not the kind that moves people to have faith. Lazarus had been dead for a few days. Sorrow and disappointment sorrounded everyone, but in Martha’s heart, there was still room to choose faith.
“Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” (John 11:21-22)
There’s a range of emotions that Jesus could be feeling. The pain of loss, seeing loved ones suffer, the need to trust the Father that He will use Him for His glory and possibly the expectation of what this huge miracle will unlock in the public atmosphere. So overwhelmed with emotion, tears start to flow down from His eyes as He walks toward Lazarus’s tomb. Then out of all the emotions that got blended in with His faith, just as Martha, a prayer of thanksgiving gives rise to a miracle.
Before seeing the miracle, before calling Lazarus out of the grave—Jesus thanked the Father for what He would do.
“So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:41-43 )
Giving thanks for what you will yet see is one of the strongest declarations of faith and trust you can express to God.
“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” (Hebrews 11:1)
You may feel sorrow, pain or disappointment because of the reality of what you are seeing and the absence of what you hope for. All of your feelings are valid, but your feelings cannot dictate your faith. You can have confidence that God hears you and He will answer. You don’t have to wait to receive or to see the miracle to give thanks for it. Instead, let your thanksgiving be an anticipation of what you trust God will do—just like Jesus did.
If you are certain of what God wants to do in your life, you don’t have to wait to see it or receive it to start thanking God for it. You can start thanking God today for what is yet to come. Your faith expressed through thanksgiving and gratitude will be the preceding act that will move the hand of God in your favor and in answer to your prayers.
