There’s a Bigger Story at Work
"This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." – John 11:4
Sometimes God’s plan doesn’t make sense in real time. We pray, we wait, and we watch as the situation gets worse instead of better. Just like Mary and Martha, we wonder why Jesus doesn’t show up when we think He should. Their brother Lazarus was sick, and they believed Jesus could heal him. So they sent for Him. But He waited. And Lazarus died.
If you stop the story there, it looks like a failure. But Jesus saw what they couldn’t. He saw the full picture, the one that stretched beyond sickness and even beyond death. What looked like abandonment was actually an invitation to witness the power and glory of God in a deeper way.
We don’t like delays. We don’t like detours. But sometimes those delays are the very thing God uses to display His greatness. Not everything is meant to be quick or easy. Not every prayer is answered the way we expect. But every single one of them is part of a bigger story.
This wasn’t about a lack of care. It wasn’t about questionable motives. Jesus loved Lazarus deeply. But He loved God’s glory more, and He knew what had to happen for that glory to be revealed. He saw the end from the beginning, even when everyone else could only see the loss.
You may be walking through something right now that doesn’t make sense. You might be praying for something that feels like it’s going unanswered. But don’t give up. Don’t assume God isn’t working just because He’s not moving how you thought He would.
He’s still writing your story. And just like Lazarus, what looks like the end may just be the setup for something greater than you ever imagined. Trust the One who sees the full picture. He hasn’t left. He’s right on time.
Sometimes God’s plan doesn’t make sense in real time. We pray, we wait, and we watch as the situation gets worse instead of better. Just like Mary and Martha, we wonder why Jesus doesn’t show up when we think He should. Their brother Lazarus was sick, and they believed Jesus could heal him. So they sent for Him. But He waited. And Lazarus died.
If you stop the story there, it looks like a failure. But Jesus saw what they couldn’t. He saw the full picture, the one that stretched beyond sickness and even beyond death. What looked like abandonment was actually an invitation to witness the power and glory of God in a deeper way.
We don’t like delays. We don’t like detours. But sometimes those delays are the very thing God uses to display His greatness. Not everything is meant to be quick or easy. Not every prayer is answered the way we expect. But every single one of them is part of a bigger story.
This wasn’t about a lack of care. It wasn’t about questionable motives. Jesus loved Lazarus deeply. But He loved God’s glory more, and He knew what had to happen for that glory to be revealed. He saw the end from the beginning, even when everyone else could only see the loss.
You may be walking through something right now that doesn’t make sense. You might be praying for something that feels like it’s going unanswered. But don’t give up. Don’t assume God isn’t working just because He’s not moving how you thought He would.
He’s still writing your story. And just like Lazarus, what looks like the end may just be the setup for something greater than you ever imagined. Trust the One who sees the full picture. He hasn’t left. He’s right on time.
Subscribe Now for Daily Devotionals
Recent
Archive
2026
January
God’s Design Is the Best DesignYou Were Destined for MoreDelivered Into Divine GuidanceSet Apart by MercyYou Are the Workmanship of GodPeople Will Fail You, But God Never WillStrength For the Long HaulYou Belong to the KingMore Than MaintenanceBigger Than Your PredicamentsYou Inherit What Cannot Be LostLive Like a Royal PriestSignificance Starts with DependenceNot Everyone Shares the Same DestinyPulled Out with PurposeMade to ProclaimCelebrate the Diversity in God’s DesignNot Problem-Free, But Promise-FilledA New Kingdom, A New LifeFaith That Puts in WorkThe Accuser Has No PowerYou Can Be SureLet the World WonderDesigned for DependencyThe Cross Already Proved His LoveNo Separation ClauseDelivered for SignificanceGod Is Not Shocked by Your SituationYou’re Part of a Bigger StoryVictory In Jesus
February
You Are CalledYou Were Made for a MissionGrace That Sets You FreeYou Can Do Nothing Without JesusGod’s Calling Looks Different for EveryoneGod Uses What You Already HaveThe Proof Is in the RemainingLiving to Please GodYou Have What You NeedYou Were Made to Stand OutExpect Ridicule When You Follow JesusWhen “But First” Gets in the WayFrom Sitting to FollowingYou Were Made for a MissionFruitfulness Comes from Connection, Not PerformanceDon’t Just Know the Word. Live It.What’s Distracting You from Your MissionWhy I Don’t Put Ashes on My Head — and Why I Don’t Judge Those Who DoStop Looking BackGod Knew What He Was Doing When He Chose YouOrdinary Obedience Has Eternal ImpactYour Friendships Are Not AccidentalWhen Comfort Competes with ChristJoy in the Middle of the StormFake Fruit Won’t Fool GodNot All Fruit Is MeasurableYour Obedience Can Spark Salvation in OthersA Dangerous Kind of PrayerWhy I Don’t Celebrate the Death of KhameneiEmpowered for Every Season
2025
July
What Are You Hiding From?Where Worry GrowsWhere Security Really Comes FromChange What You’re Looking AtAnswer the Right QuestionsWhere Are You Looking?Go to the Right WellLet Go of the GripQuit Trying to Outmuscle WorryRunning on EmptyWhen “Lord” is Just a WordDig Deeper Before the StormWhen the Work Feels Too HardThe Slow Work That LastsWhat Were You ThinkingDo You Trust Him?Not Everything Sweet is SafeSay It or Show ItMore Than a NameThe Weight Behind the WordsThe Cost of CommitmentMore Than Good IntentionsThe Neighbor You’re BecomingWhat Are You Known ForSlow Down and See ThemEyes to See, Time to StopWhat Comes FirstMercy MovesWho Are You Really After?The Right Name, the Wrong HeartPower Matters
No Comments