How to Be Happy Where You Are by Michelle McKinney Hammond

Author:Michelle McKinney Hammond
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780736942140
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers

The Shunammite’s ordeal makes me think of Martha looking at Jesus in despair after the death of her brother Lazarus. Through tear-filled eyes, imploring or perhaps even accusing Him, she said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). That is what we all think when things hit the critical stage in our lives or we feel all is lost. If God were present and cared about us, it would never get to this! This is the great myth in Christendom…that God’s love is manifested by exempting us from suffering. Nothing is further from the truth. The Word of God clearly tells us that trials produce experience, which produces character and, ultimately, a hope we will not be ashamed of because we become living proof of the goodness, the faithfulness, and the power of God (James 1:2).

This strange vernacular, using “sleeping” to describe death, is the spiritual language of heaven—seeing through God’s eyes. Yes, God views death and loss far differently than our limited view. Sleeping indeed, for nothing is lost eternally in Christ. Delayed, put on hold, suspended perhaps, but never, ever lost. Precious is the “sleep” of His saints because it is a temporary affair. A mere port of transition from temporal to eternal. Not dead in the sense that we tend to view death. For us who dwell in the earthly realm, this is all we can see. We have a limited concept of the great beyond, where the heavens teem with life and the promise of a new earth burgeoning with citizens very much alive after passing from this earth, as prophesied, waiting for Christ’s return.

To us, death is very final. God sees it as a new beginning and a continuation of a very exciting journey. That is death in the physical sense. But what about the affairs of life that look as if they are lost? From finance to romance, dreams die a dime a dozen. Where is God in the midst of these times that rob us of our fulfillment?

Just as Jesus stayed away purposely as Lazarus died, I believe God waits for us to relax, release, and worship Him with our trust. He waits for opportunities to glorify Himself but, unfortunately, we limit His work by testing Him in areas that are nearest and dearest to our hearts. We allow our desires to jockey for position with Him. They contend against our pure worship and devotion to Him. Yes, He waits for these things to die in our hearts, our emotions, and our will. But from His perspective, death is a temporary state. The duration or length of our waiting has everything to do with our response and our willingness to release what we grasp so tightly.

Jesus was not disturbed by Martha’s accusation that He was at fault for the death of Lazarus. He was more disturbed by the lack of faith her sister, Mary, voiced. He did not expect Martha to have much faith, after all she was a person who focused on keeping busy.

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