I Am Your Life

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,” John 11:25

Sometimes in life, we can feel like we just got the wind kicked out of us. It may come from a bad report, a loved one’s passing or some other event. The result is the same. It’s like the life has been sucked right out of you.

Often it seems, as we travel this life, that the world is bent on taking what we love and enjoy without any concern for our well-being or feelings. When this happens, and the world sucks all your energy, hope and peace away, use it to recall who Jesus is, and be assured Jesus is your life.

Jesus is your life when this world threatens to robs you of all you hold dear (John 11:1-6). We can be assured in these moments that God is a personal God. You can be assured He knows and cares about your most intimate hurts and concerns. Sometimes we’re too worn out to help people. But God is never too tired to hear your problems. He never gets tired of me, even though I know it seems like I bring the same thing to Him over and over again.

Can you imagine? The Almighty God of the universe makes Himself accessible to Mary and Martha and you! Normally, only the great and powerful would have access to the king. Even when others were allowed into the king’s presence, they had to ask permission to do so. In the book of Esther in the Bible, Esther waited at the edge of the court for the king to raise his scepter. She would be killed if she tried to enter without permission. Not only that, but you just didn’t bring your petty problems to the king; it had to be something really important. Likewise, if you came before the king depressed or overcome by grief, you could also be killed. This was forbidden, something Nehemiah, the king’s cupbearer knew, when the king noticed he was sad one day.

But this isn’t true of our God. Jesus wasn’t embarrassed or offended when the sick brought their problems to Him. Jesus had every right to refuse the sick. He could have easily told them He was too important to be bothered by the stench of their disease or their embarrassing social and physical conditions. Who wants a woman with a blood disease touching them? Though they didn’t know about blood-born diseases, I’m sure they still had some concept of “I don’t want to get what they have.” What kind of perfect God would want to be touched with dirty hands? Not only that, but I’m too embarrassed to be seen associating with the weird guy at work, the homeless guy, or the ex-convict at the park who is covered with prison tattoos. Yet Jesus is not too embarrassed to talk to the woman with the issue of blood, the lame man, the children crying out to him, Mary, Martha, or me.

Jesus is your life when your life is threatened (John 11: 7-16). It’s hard to see the purpose for leading us into danger. It’s really hard to get excited about following God when you don’t understand. We can have peace in knowing that God knows what going on even when we don’t. We can have peace in knowing that God is doing everything for a purpose. We can find the energy to do the things God leads us to by realizing He does everything for His Glory.

We can find hope in knowing that God knows about all the things that are attempting to destroy you. There is hope in knowing no one in this life has the power to end your life prematurely. Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy. I think every single person in the face of the earth has had Satan wisper in their ear, “Just give up, end your life.” If it weren’t for God's restraining hand, we would kill ourselves. But we don’t do so, because God keeps us from it. Knowing this relieves us of the pressure of maintaining our lives. God is giving you the mental, physical, and spiritual strength to fight on. You don’t have to feel guilty about not being able to do certain things. God gives us the strength to do exactly what He has called us to. We all will eventually fail physically and mentally if the Lord doesn’t return before then. When the times comes that I’m no longer able to physically do my job here, it’s because God has withdrawn that ability from me. This means I’m not really giving up on life or my job. Giving up means you have the ability, and you give it up or choose not to use it. I can be certain God has a plan for my life and is giving me the strength to do it.

Some might think that’s pretty tough -- God deciding who lives and dies -- but it beats the alternative. You can have hope in knowing that Satan is powerless to take your life one second before God purposes that you leave this life. You can have hope in knowing your life and death have meaning. There is no purpose where there is chance. But you can find peace in knowing that God has a plan for your life, and Satan can do nothing about it.

Jesus is your life when you’re depressed (John 11:17-20). Sometimes the magnitude of the situation drives us to despair. Grieving and being depressed aren’t a sin. Depression is a natural emotional and physiological response to loss. We get depressed and grieve, because we know these situations aren’t what God originally intended for us. Something would be wrong with Mary and Martha if they weren’t disturbed by their brother’s illness and eventual death. Not being disturbed by it is like saying it’s okay that Lazarus is sick, suffering, or has died. Ignoring these feelings also denies the fact that you love them. Jesus was hurt by Mary, Martha, and Lazarus’ situation because he really loved them (3, 36). The more you love someone, the more you hurt when they are suffering or when they die.

Jesus is your life when you find it hard or impossible to believe (John 11:22-28, 36-42). This world will do all it can to rob you of your reason to believe. But Jesus is our life even when we don’t understand His plan. Circumstances can sometimes suck the hope right out of you. Our hope is often extinguished when our expectations aren’t fulfilled: God didn’t heal me of this or God didn’t do that for me,” so He’s not real or isn’t really in control of the circumstances surrounding my life. We can get so focused on the circumstances that we begin to tell God what He can and can’t do. Martha was basically telling Him, “I believe you are God, but I don’t believe you can raise him from the dead. I know you can raise him at the last day, but I don’t believe you can raise him up now. You’re not God over this situation or right now.” You can have hope in knowing that Your God is the God of the right here and right now.

Commit yourself to the God who is a real, personal being. God is not “The Force” like in Star Wars, or in Eastern Religions. He is a real God who loves you and will work in your life for His Glory. Like Lazarus’ dying, it may not work out like you want, but it always works out to our advantage when He brings Himself glory.

So take his promises personally. I do this by quoting “The Lord is Ron’s Shepherd; Ron shall not want.” Those promises were meant to be personal, so make them personal.

Know that God understands when we’re weak and find it hard to believe. Call on Jesus to help you with your unbelief, and He will hear you. Trust that God is present and active right here, right now. Pray expectantly. Believe that God isn’t limited by our diseases or circumstances. Cancer is not kryptonite to God.

Believe that Satan, cancer, and infection are powerless to take your life. Trust that God is the mighty God who is in control of you life. Raising Lazarus was proof of Jesus’ power. What more do we have to fear now that Jesus has conquered our two worst enemies – sin and death? When you have no life in you, come to Jesus and live.

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