We Have a God Who Makes No Mistakes

God never does anything without a purpose, and that is something we must engrave upon our lives. God loves us, just as it says here that Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Let us never doubt His love.

In our last segment, we were talking about the sometimes mysterious way in which God chooses to answer our prayers. I was saying that many times we have a great need in our lives, and sometimes we have a very clear, very definite idea of when we want God to respond to our needs and resolve our crises, yet the Lord often decides to respond in ways that are very complex and very different from the way we think He should respond.

And we always see that in this case, for example, God has a purpose, a plan. The Bible says that all things work together for good for those who love God. Many times in our lives, God decides to answer with a no. Sometimes He decides to answer with a loss, and sometimes we have had hopes of something we wanted to do.

We wanted to marry that person who seemed to meet all our needs, and it did not happen. A job that seemed exactly right for our lives did not work out either. A financial loss left us with nothing, and we had to begin rebuilding our lives all over again. An illness robs us of the vitality of youth. An accident completely changes the course of our lives. And many times we ask ourselves, where is God in all of this? Where are His promises, His faithfulness? Where is His love, which is supposedly so invincible in our lives?

In this case, I wonder whether Martha and Mary had doubts about Jesus, His love, and His power when the Lord decided to remain there for two more days after they sent Him this urgent message: “Come and help us; Lazarus is dying.” And the Lord, quite calmly, stays there for two more days, taking a vacation and waiting for the tragic moment these two sisters are experiencing to become thoroughly seasoned and fully ripe.

But we see that there is a purpose in it. God never does anything without a purpose, and that is something we must engrave upon our lives. God loves us, just as it says here that Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Let us never doubt His love. God has power; let us never doubt His power. What God is, is complex indeed, and sometimes He has plans for us that are far better than the plans we sometimes have for ourselves.

And sometimes, frankly, what we thought was a loss turns out to be the platform for an incredible blessing. And many times, what we consider a loss—something that here on Earth we will never know was not really a loss—will be revealed when we get to heaven. We will see, for example, that the job we thought, “Wow, this is the perfect job for my life,” may actually have been, had we gotten it, the platform for the destruction of our lives, the loss of our marriage or our health. Or perhaps that person with whom we thought we would be happy, and who met all our requirements, would not have been the husband or wife we thought they would be.

And God had another, better plan for us. And that person who perhaps was not our first choice, but whom we ended up marrying, turns out to be exactly what was for our good. That is why we cannot put obstacles in God’s way; we cannot force Him to do what we want Him to do.

I believe that the Christian’s chief card when dealing with God and His answers is believing that God is sovereign, that He knows what He is doing, and that even when it does not seem as though He is doing what He promised to do, we must trust. We must say, “Lord, let Your Will be done and not mine. You know what is best for me. Even though it is not what I think should happen, I am going to trust that You know what is best.”

And in this case, we see that by delaying His arrival, the Lord was preparing something far more sublime for Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. What was it? That even today, 2,000 years later, people are still talking about that marvelous miracle. Lazarus, Martha, and Mary never imagined that they would become three beloved, venerated, and celebrated figures for countless generations throughout the centuries because of that miracle. Look at us today, in the twenty-first century, talking about Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. And they became the platform for one of the greatest miracles the Lord performed during His earthly ministry—for that great display of Jesus’ Glory, His deity, and His power even over death.

God used Martha, Mary, and Lazarus as vessels of glory and honor for His Son. I am sure that if they had understood the ending God had destined for them, they would have said, “Amen, Lord, do it. No, there is no problem.” Because in the end, God’s love was going to be manifested.

I believe, brothers and sisters, that we must cultivate that absolutely clear awareness that we have a God who does not make mistakes. Everything that happens in our lives—the green, yellow, and red lights, as we were saying, or no light at all—behind it all is a God who knows what He is doing. He has His recipes for every meal He serves us, and even if it is a little bitter, a little salty, or flavorless and bland, it does not matter; the Lord knows that it is for our good.

Sometimes God sets a tremendous delicacy before us; sometimes He gives us manna, a simple little meal. Sometimes He puts nothing on the table, and we simply have to receive His sustenance by faith. But whatever it may be, it is the best thing for our lives. What God chooses is always the best thing for our lives. What God chooses is always best, and we must believe that, we must hold fast to it, we must celebrate it by faith, and always say, “Lord, may Your Will always be done, because Your Will is far better than mine.”

May God bless you, and let us continue mining this marvelous passage and drawing lessons from it. Bidding you farewell is your friend and brother in Christ Jesus, Pastor Roberto Miranda. God bless you.