The Christian faith does not shy away from life’s hardest questions—questions about life and death, joy and sorrow, hope and despair. In fact, some of our most difficult questions are directed toward God in the Bible. It’s as though the Lord Himself says, “I will ask the question for you.” We see this in the Book of Job, and most poignantly, at the Cross. The Holy Spirit, who breathed out the Scriptures through human authors, often sets up scenes that leave both the characters in the story and the readers confounded. Consider the account of Lazarus in John chapter 11. When Martha and Mary, dear friends of Jesus, sent word for Him to come and heal their brother, Lazarus, who was sick unto death, Jesus responded in a way that seems perplexing:
“So when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. Then after this He said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again’” (John 11:6, NASB).
And later we read: “When Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days” (John 11:17, NASB).
Did the Lord not love His friends? Did He allow their sorrow to deepen so they might grow in faith? No. The Lord is not culpable for the world’s fallen condition, nor does He owe us an explanation. As Scripture says, “For He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone” (Lamentations 3:33). Commenting on this passage, Puritan minister Matthew Poole writes:
“Though He loved him and his sisters with a tender love, yet He did not immediately go to them, to comfort Mary and Martha in their sorrow, nor to cure Lazarus and prevent his death. But He stayed two more days where He was. He loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, but He loved the honor and glory of His Father even more, which would be revealed in raising Lazarus from the dead. We must not judge Christ’s love for us by His external acts of providence, nor assume that He does not love us because He does not intervene according to our timetable.”1
God’s timing is not our own. The Lord’s perspective is gloriously eternal; ours is painfully finite. As Isaiah 55:9 reminds us, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (ESV). The Lord’s perspective is gloriously eternal, while ours is painfully finite. As Isaiah 55:9 reminds us, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (ESV). Yet, every now and then, the Bible offers us a glimpse beyond the curtain that separates this world from eternity. We catch a view of the beautiful tapestry being woven behind the ragged stitches of this world by the God who is always there.
From this narrative, we can draw important lessons to guide us through our darkest days:
1. God is active in our lives. He is not the absent watchmaker, who winds up the universe and leaves it to run on its own. The universe is not on autopilot.
2. God is sovereign over all, yet He is not the author of evil. He works all things for good (Romans 8:28), even though not all things are good.
3. Death does not have the final word. Rabbinical tradition taught that a soul hovered over the body for three days, during which time resuscitation might occur. Jesus waited four days before raising Lazarus to provide undeniable evidence of resurrection power—beyond mere resuscitation.
4. Lazarus’s resurrection is a essential event in redemptive history. It foreshadowed Jesus’s own resurrection and also points to our future hope of resurrection.
5. Jesus’s delay allowed for a deeper lesson on resurrection. Martha, Mary, and those who witnessed the miracle were directed toward the greater truth that Jesus Himself is the Resurrection and the Life. The Apostle Paul would later affirm that the resurrection is the central event in human history (1 Corinthians 15).
6. The resurrection doctrine shines most brightly against the backdrop of death. It was necessary for Lazarus to die and be raised to life so that Jesus could redirect our faith and provide hope for our own resurrection and that of our loved ones.
7. The miracle glorified God and ultimately brought joy to the village. Jesus’s public prayer before raising Lazarus reveals His intention to glorify the Father and lead others into belief: “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. . . I said this for the the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me” (John 11:41-42, NIV). There are certainly times when we cannot understand God’s ways, yet because of the Gospel, there is clarity even in mystery. “How could God the Father send His only begotten Son to die for a sinner like me?” That is as perplexing to me as why He might not intervene and answer my prayers to remove a thorn of suffering from my body—no, even more so.
Out of these truths, I composed the song “He Is in Control.” This song was written for God’s people enduring trials and difficulties, for those grappling with unanswerable questions and inexplicable suffering. When we lay our questions and sorrows at the foot of the Cross, we can release our burdens to the God who is in control. He is the One who turns even the darkest moments into instruments of salvation. Though His ways are not our ways, like a child trusting his parents, we can trust our heavenly Father.
I know that some reading this are in the throes of loss, asking, “Why didn’t the Lord show up in time? Why did this have to happen?” Beloved, I cannot provide specific answers to those questions, but I do know this: God knows your heart. He loves you, and He invites you to lay your burdens at the place where Jesus Himself cried, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” And yet, the instrument of shame became the sign of salvation. My prayer is that this song will remind you that the sovereignty of God is not only our salvation but also a healing balm for the wounded soul. Trust in Him, and leave your sorrows at the Cross.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7, NASB).
Matthew Poole. Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible. United States: Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, LLC, 1990, “John 11.”
He’s in Control
Words and Music ©️ 2005, 2024 by Michael Anthony Milton (Bethesda Music, BMI).
Of all the things I've been told
There's none that more thrills my soul
Than knowing that God is in control
It gives me the strength to go on
Whether it's good or it's bad
No reason for me to be sad
God has given us all that he had
When he gave up His only Son
He's in control
He's in control
Tenderly sculpting my soul
To the image of Christ my King
He's in control
There was a time when I thought
Life was a chance to be bought
But I was confused and distraught
By the lies that I had been told
So God in his mercy and might
Allowed me to see the light
And I know now that it's all alright
I know who is in control
He's in control
He's in control
Tenderly shaping my soul
To the image of Christ my king
He's in control
On the darkest night of your soul
When the storms of life begin to blow
You can rest your head on this soft pillow
And you can know
Yes, you can know
He's in control
He's in control
Tenderly sculpting your soul
To the image of Christ your king
He's in control
He's in control
He's in control
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