Words of Hope in the Midst of Crisis
A man's stomach is filled with the fruit of his mouth. With the harvest of his lips he is satisfied. — Proverbs 18:20
Then when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary stayed in the house. — John 11:20
Author
Dr. Roberto Miranda
Summary: Martha diligently goes out to meet Jesus, while Mary remains at home, each reflecting her own character in the face of crisis. Grieving over her brother’s death, Martha laments that Jesus had not arrived earlier, just as we also do when we do not understand God’s delay. Yet she regains her strength and confesses her faith: she knows that God can still act. Although the Lord’s ways may seem strange to us, He has a plan, is in control, and knows what He is doing. Therefore, even in the deepest pain, we must not remain trapped in reproach, doubt, or the language of victimhood, but instead express faith, trust, and hope: God can bring us through, and neither circumstances nor man has the final say.
When Martha hears that Jesus is coming, she does not wait until He arrives, but goes out to meet Him, while Mary stays at home. It is interesting, isn’t it? Martha is the diligent one, the industrious one, the conscientious one, the responsible one, and she goes to receive Jesus and runs to attend to Him and greet Him, and to let Him know what is happening. Mary perhaps stayed behind doing what? Praying, perhaps; she was more tender, more mystical, and we also see that portrayed in the famous scene of Martha attending to things, working, preparing the table. Mary there—each of them seems to reveal her character and temperament through the way she reacts to Jesus’ coming.
Martha arrives where Jesus is, and a very interesting dialogue takes place in which Martha says to the Lord, "Oh Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." There is perhaps something of a reproach there—perhaps not exactly an accusation, but something like a lament: Lord, goodness, if You had come a little sooner, if You had hurried a little more, my brother would not have died. How many times do we say something like that to the Lord: Oh, why did You not hurry a little more? Why did You not do this? Why did You allow me to lose my house? Why did You not send me the money I needed to resolve that situation, which has now gotten worse? Why did You not heal my son sooner? Why did You not get him off drugs a little sooner? Look at him now.
The Lord has a plan. Sometimes we do not understand; the way God works may even seem a little strange to us, but He is in control. He knows what He is doing. We cannot reproach the Lord for anything; we simply have to abide in His Will. And the Lord clearly had a plan. And that is why the Lord says to her—but now, interestingly, before getting to that, Martha says: "But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."
Wow, there we see how—Martha recovers from her reproach to the Lord and says: But do You know what, Lord? I understand; I know that, in any case, if You ask God, He will still grant it to You. How wonderful that Martha at least draws strength from her own sorrow and confesses her faith to the Lord. How important it is for words of faith and trust in God to come from our mouths even when we are in the midst of pain; instead of reproaching the Lord and slipping into the language of a victim, of reproach toward God, and of negativity, may we always have positive words, words of hope.
The Bible says that in the mouth is the power of life or death, and our life follows what we say with our mouths. Instead of remaining with a negative word, Martha ends with a positive word, and we should do the same: may words of hope come from our mouths, even when we are in the greatest crisis of our lives, so that we may say: But the Lord will still bring me through; I believe in Him, I trust in Him, God is powerful, man does not have the last word, circumstances do not have the last word.
How good it is for us also to have words of faith and hope in the midst of crises and difficult situations, and not to remain merely accusing the Lord or doubting Him. These words have power. God bless you, and we will continue meditating on these words in the next segment.