We are honored to have Jenni DeWitt share a post with us today during the Birthday Beach Party and Blog Tour celebrating what would have been Kyle’s 28th birthday on August 27th titled Do You Believe This? I pray her words bless you as much as they blessed me.
Jenni DeWitt is a fun-loving, loud-laughing contemplative who is discovering the value of rest and silent prayer in the midst of this rushed society. She is the author of two books — Forty Days and Why Won’t God Talk to Me? Jenni lives in Nebraska with her husband and two young sons. She loves to find Jesus in the everyday and writes about rejecting fear and choosing trust in God at Genuflected.
Do You Believe This?
Do you remember the Bible story about Mary and Martha’s brother, Lazarus?
Lazarus had just died, and Jesus was on his way to help. As Jesus approached, Martha went out to meet him on the road, but her sister, Mary, stayed at home.
That part of the story always made me wonder. If you knew help was on the way, would you just sit there, or would you run out to meet the person who could help you?
Maybe, in the exhaustion of grief, Mary just didn’t have the energy to leave the house? But, in her anxiety, Martha just couldn’t sit still.
When she reached Jesus on the path:
Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.[But] even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” (John 11:21-22)
While they walked together for a bit, with Mary back at home, Jesus started to explain things to Martha:
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.”
Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” (John 11:23-27)
As the story goes on, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead to the glory of God.
I wonder, who are you more like in this story — Mary or Martha? In the throes of grief, do you sit in your place like Mary, waiting for Jesus to come to you? Or do you go out, like Martha, to meet Jesus on the road?
As I read Susan’s book, Dance With Jesus: From Grief to Grace, I could guess at what she would do. In fact, her book helps us all to walk down that path toward Jesus and the comfort and answers He has for us.
Susan’s stories of how she met the Lord in her grief reminded me that Jesus is still just as alive today as he was when he walked that dusty path with Martha so many years ago. And I can just hear Jesus saying, “For I am coming to resurrect these things, and you have met me along the way.”
Questions for you: Do you believe this? Do you believe that Jesus is capable of resurrecting the sadness and grief in your life?
Special gift: Jenni has put together a new resource especially for you. It’s called Five Free Prayer Apps That Will Improve Your Prayer Life. Visit Jenni’s website to grab your free download today!