“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” — John 11:25
When Jesus tells his disciples, “I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that ye may believe,” he places us squarely in the most difficult question of faith: Why does God allow death? The tension lives in every deathbed, every cemetery, every moment we cry out wondering where God is in our suffering. Martha and Mary both say the same thing to Jesus: “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” The accusation hides in the conditional. You could have prevented this. You chose to let him die.
God’s goodness stands at the center of this tension. He cannot be anything other than good because goodness belongs to his nature. He cannot act against his character any more than light can produce darkness. This means the death of Lazarus, the exile of Israel, our own sufferings and losses—all of these unfold within the plan of a God whose nature is good. The resurrection of Lazarus was the plan from the beginning. Death becomes the passage through which God reveals his glory and calls people to faith. We hope in his plan because we hope in him, and he remains good because he can be nothing else. The question changes from “Why does God allow death?” to “How does God use death to display who he is and draw us to trust him?”
Out of the Depths: The Psalm of Waiting
Psalm 130 begins in the depths. The psalmist cries out from a place of desperation, aware of iniquity, conscious of how easily we all fall short. But the psalm turns on a single word: “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” The purpose clause matters here. Forgiveness exists so that we might fear—meaning worship, trust, revere—the Lord. The psalmist waits for this redemption “more than they that watch for the morning.” Watchmen waiting for dawn know the night is temporary. Morning comes because that’s how the world works. The psalmist stakes everything on the certainty that God redeems. Hope here means confident expectation based on the character of the one who promises. Israel can hope because “with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.” The depths are real. The waiting is real. And the redemption is certain because God has bound himself to his people.
The Valley of Dry Bones: God’s Resurrecting Pattern
Ezekiel 37 shows us Israel in exile, so far gone that restoration seems impossible. The bones are “very dry”—past the point of recent death into complete desiccation. When God asks, “Can these bones live?” the question hangs in the air. Ezekiel wisely answers, “O Lord God, thou knowest.” Then God demonstrates his method: he brings life through the valley of death itself. The bones rattle together. Sinews and flesh appear. Skin covers them. But still no breath. Only when God’s Spirit enters do they become “an exceeding great army.” The vision concludes with God’s purpose statement: “Then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it.” The exile was real. The death was complete. And the resurrection reveals who God is. This pattern becomes the template for understanding how God works: through death to resurrection to knowledge of his glory.
Lazarus: The Deliberate Delay
John 11 makes explicit what Ezekiel showed in vision. Jesus hears that Lazarus is sick. He loves Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. And he deliberately stays two more days where he is. When he finally goes to Bethany, Lazarus has been dead four days—past the Jewish belief that the soul hovered near the body for three days. This is irreversible death. Martha’s confession that “by this time he stinketh” confirms the biological reality. Jesus orchestrates these circumstances, and he tells us why: “This sickness is for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” Later he adds, “I am glad for your sakes I was not there, that ye may believe.” The delay was purposeful. The death was necessary. The resurrection would reveal Christ’s identity as “the resurrection and the life” and lead many to believe. When Jesus calls Lazarus forth from the tomb, he demonstrates that his power superintends over death itself. Death becomes the canvas on which God paints his glory.
The Spirit of Resurrection: Paul’s Cosmic Vision
Romans 8 connects this pattern to our present experience. Paul contrasts two mindsets: the carnal mind that leads to death, and the spiritual mind that leads to life and peace. The Spirit of God dwelling in us is the same Spirit “that raised up Jesus from the dead.” This Spirit will “quicken your mortal bodies.” The word “quicken” means to make alive. Paul looks at our current bodies—mortal, dying, subject to decay—and declares that the resurrection power already at work in Christ will work in us. The Spirit dwelling in believers is the guarantee. The same God who superintended over Christ’s death and raised him from the grave will do the same for those who belong to Christ. This is why Paul can call the Spirit-led mind “life and peace” even while living in mortal bodies. The future resurrection shapes present reality. Hope becomes confidence because the Spirit of resurrection already dwells within.
Living in Resurrection Hope
These four passages work together to reframe how we understand suffering, waiting, and death. God’s plan centers on resurrection, which means death becomes the necessary passage through which he reveals his glory and calls us to faith. This changes how we approach our own dark valleys.
When Martha says, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died,” she speaks from a perspective where death is the ultimate defeat. Jesus redirects her: “I am the resurrection and the life.” He offers himself as the answer, present even in the tomb. Our calling is to trust the one who operates through death to bring life, who delays to increase faith, who works all things according to his purpose.
Practically, this means we can wait like the psalmist—confidently, expectantly, knowing that morning comes. We can cry from the depths while simultaneously hoping in God’s redemption. We can face our own valleys of dry bones and ask with Ezekiel, “Lord, you know,” trusting that the Spirit who raised Christ will quicken us. We can believe that our current sufferings serve God’s glory and the strengthening of faith, both ours and others who watch how we endure.
The resurrection was always the plan. The Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world. God’s power to bring life from death reveals his nature. This gives us hope that holds steady even when circumstances look irreversibly broken.
Points to Ponder
- Where in your life do you feel like you’re “in the depths” or standing in a valley of dry bones? How does knowing that God’s resurrection power works through such places change your posture?
- Jesus deliberately delayed going to Lazarus so that God’s glory would be revealed and others would believe. Can you identify times when God’s delays in your life served a purpose beyond your immediate comfort?
- The psalmist waits for the Lord “more than watchmen for the morning.” What would it look like to wait for God’s redemption with that same certainty? What specific situation requires this kind of confident waiting right now?
- Paul says the Spirit who raised Jesus dwells in you. How does this present reality of resurrection power shape the way you approach your mortal, dying body and your daily struggles?
Prayer
Father, you are the God who opens graves and brings your people up from death. When we stand in our valleys of dry bones, when hope feels lost and we feel cut off, remind us that your Spirit gives life. Thank you that Jesus delayed, that Lazarus died, that the tomb was opened so we might believe. Give us the faith of Martha to confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Give us the patience of the psalmist to wait for you more than watchmen wait for morning. By your Spirit who dwells in us, quicken our mortal bodies even now with the life and peace that comes from fixing our minds on you. Let your resurrection power work through our deaths—small and large—to reveal your glory and lead others to faith. We wait for you, Lord. Our souls wait, and in your word we hope. Amen.
“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” — Romans 8:11
Josh Cehulik 