Mary and Martha had to wait for God’s answer to their request to heal their sick brother Lazarus.  In their waiting, he died.  Sadness arrived.  But as Jesus appears and the story unfolds, God’s true answer is revealed.  Lazarus is raised up from the dead – God’s glory is revealed in and through Jesus.

I wonder how often we think the answer we get from God is our answer, when it is really not.  The answer to our prayer or the reason we went through a particular experience is only later realized or revealed.  Sometimes we maybe even wait for an answer and eventually give up instead of trusting fully and being patient in our waiting.

And then BAM!  God’s plan is revealed and it all becomes plain to see.  (Sometimes it is not a bam but it is a quiet ah-ha moment.)  We come to see that God had it handled all along.  It is then that we realize that God is the one in control, not us.  We are simply part of His creation and part of His plan.  We are a deeply loved and important part, but it is still God’s plan.