The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 9 April 2025 — A Sickness Not Unto Death
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TOPIC: The Resurrection And The Life
READ: John 11:20-31 (NKJV)
- Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.
- Then 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.”
- Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
- Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
- Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
- “And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
- She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
- And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.”
- As soon as she heard [that,] she arose quickly and came to Him.
- Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.
- Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”
THE MESSAGE:
When we lost a brother a few years ago, we requested the mortuary attendants not to embalm him that day. Somehow, we hoped that he would wake up during the night. By morning, however, we lost all hope and allowed them to proceed. Martha must have lost hope of seeing her brother alive again.
This may explain her regrets about the absence of Jesus earlier. But she expressed great faith that God would grant any request from Jesus. When Jesus told her that Lazarus would rise again, her mind was on the Last Day resurrection.
Then Jesus declared that He is the resurrection and the life, and anyone who believes in him shall have eternal life. He is also the Alpha and the Omega (Rev. 1:8,11). Like Peter in Matthew 16:16, Martha expressed her firm belief that Jesus is Christ.
She may not have known that Jesus would raise Lazarus from the dead, but she had a firm faith in God though she was mourning her ‘dead’ brother. We too can express absolute faith in God even when we have not seen the answer to our specific prayer request. When we come to God in faith, we shall experience his divine power in our lives (Heb. 11: 1,6).
PRAYER: “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
