I'm not good at crossword puzzles, but I do love a good word scramble. It's especially gratifying when the word is difficult and I have to work hard to figure it out.

People love puzzles and mysteries for the satisfaction of finding the answer. But there are many more questions than answers in life, and they don't always come as easily as the answer to a puzzle. How many times have you said, or heard someone say, when I see God, I'm going to ask him a whole bunch of questions?

There have always been unanswered questions, which is why there are myths, legends and fairy tales. People invented these stories to explain some of the great mysteries of life. One ancient civilization didn't need to invent stories about the answers to life. They looked forward to the fulfillment of a promise which would solve their problems and usher in a new era of freedom and prosperity. That civilization was the Hebrews and that promise was the coming of the Messiah.

Prophecies concerning the Messiah are found in many places in the Old Testament, which is the only Bible the people of Jesus' day would have known. The Jews eagerly anticipated the arrival of the Messiah. Young Jewish girls hoped they would be chosen to bear the child of the promise.

The Jews knew this child would be no ordinary human being, but they didn't know he would be the answer to all the questions anyone has ever asked or will ever ask. Jesus is the fulfillment of every dream, every promise, every wish and longing of the human heart. "(Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation." and "in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell." (Col. 1:15, 19, NRSV). 

When Jesus was born, humankind was able, for the first time, to look at the face of God. The Amplified Bible says it well: "For it has pleased (the Father) that all the divine fullness (the sum total of the divine perfection, powers and attributes) should dwell in Him permanently" (Col. 1:19, Amplified Bible).

The Incarnation was more than just the fulfillment of prophecy, and when we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate more than just the birth of a baby who lived an unusual life. We are celebrating the great God of the universe miraculously focusing all the power and glory of himself into the baby Jesus, his son. If you'll forgive the flawed analogy, it's like the light of the sun shining through a prism to make a rainbow on the wall. He is the perfect one "who fills all in all (.who makes everything complete, and who fills everything everywhere with himself)" (Eph. 1:20, 23, Amplified Bible).

"For to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior, who is Christ, (the Messiah) the Lord!" (Luke 2:11, Amp.) Thanks and praise to God for the birth of the answer to all questions: he who came "to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace" (Luke 1:79, KJV). Merry Christmas!

Most of the time, we don't give much thought to trees. We might take notice of them if they are particularly large or if the wind blows them down. We would probably notice if one were heavy with fruit or if the fruit were on the ground. Most of us would recognize the type of fruit, and by it, be able to identify the type of tree.

When Christ said we would know a tree by its fruit, he used an analogy all of us can understand. Even if we've never grown fruit trees, we are familiar with what comes from them - we eat the products every day. When cared for properly with good soil, water and fertilizer, and given the right growing conditions, certain trees yield fruit.

But he also said people are known by their fruit. He didn't mean we, with the right growing conditions, will have apples dangling from our bodies. But we can produce spiritual fruit, which according to John 15:16, will last (NLT throughout).

What did he mean by that - what kind of fruit will last? In Luke 6, Jesus spent some time talking to his disciples about the rewards for certain kinds of behavior (see also Matthew 5). Then in verse 43, he states that a good tree can't produce bad fruit and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. In verse 45, he says it's also true of people: "A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you say."

Romans 7:4 tells us how it's possible to produce good deeds: "So then, dear friends, the point is this: The law no longer holds you in its power, because you died to its power when you died with Christ on the cross. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, you can produce good fruit, that is, good deeds for God."

I don't imagine God has a heavenly pantry filled with dried or preserved fruit. But somehow, the good deeds we do, the kind words we say and the "cups of water offered to the thirsty" will have lasting effects on others and on ourselves. They will be carried over into the next life and remembered by the one to whom we will all give account (Hebrews 4:13).

Producing fruit that will last is the other arm of the identity cross. As God's chosen ones who are made into new creatures, covered by his grace, we express the life of Christ on earth and produce fruit for him. It lasts because it's not physical - it won't rot and can't be destroyed. This fruit is the result of a life yielded to God - full of love for him and our fellow human beings. May we always bear fruit in abundance that will last into eternity!

We worship a risen Savior. This means Jesus is alive. But where does he live? Does he have a home? Perhaps he lives down the street - the one who volunteers at the local homeless shelter. Or maybe he lives in the big house on the corner - the one with the foster children.

Or maybe he lives in your house - the one who mowed the neighbor’s lawn when he was sick. Jesus could even wear your clothes, as he did when you stopped to help a stranded woman on the freeway.

Yes, Jesus is alive and he lives in everyone who has accepted him as Savior and Lord. Paul said he had been crucified with Christ and because of that, he could say, “I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, NLT).

Living Christ’s life means we are an expression of the life he lived here on earth. Our lives are submerged and joined with his. This identity statement belongs on one arm of the identity cross we have been putting together. Expressing his love and care for others naturally follows being chosen (the foundation), made into a new creature (the upright beam), who has been covered with God’s grace (the crossbeam).

We are an expression of the life of Christ because he is our real life (Col. 3:4). We’re citizens of heaven, not earth, and we are only temporary inhabitants of our physical bodies. Our lives are like a puff of steam that vanishes in an instant. Jesus in us is permanent and real.

Romans 12, Ephesians 4 and 5 and Colossians 3 tell us how to live the real life of Christ. First, we must set our sights on the realities of heaven and then put to death the “sinful, earthly things lurking within” us (Col. 3:1, 5). In verse 12, we are told that since we have been chosen to be God’s holy people, we must clothe ourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. “And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love” (verse 14).

Since our real life is in Jesus, we are his physical body on earth, and we live Jesus’ spiritual life of love and giving. We are the heart with which he loves, the arms with which he hugs, the hands with which he helps, the eyes with which he sees and the mouth with which he encourages others and praises God. In this life, we are the only Jesus people will see. Our expression of his life had better be a good one! And it will be if we do everything for an audience of one - God - and all for his glory.

So where does Jesus live? He lives where we live (Colossians 1:27b). Are we letting his life shine through or are we keeping him locked away, too deeply hidden to be noticed or to help others? If so, let’s hide our lives in him (Colossians 3:3) and let him live through us.

September - Paved With Grace

Do all paths lead to God? Some believe all religions are a variation of the same theme — do this or that and get to heaven. At first glance, it may seem this is so. Hinduism promises the believer unity with an impersonal god. Attaining Nirvana requires good works through many reincarnations. Buddhism, again promising Nirvana, requires keeping the four noble truths and the eight-fold path through many reincarnations.

Islam promises Paradise — an eternal life of sensual gratification and pleasure. To get there, the believer must keep the articles of faith and five pillars of Islam. For the Jews, living a good life and adhering to tradition leads to eternal life with Messiah.

None of these can assure the follower of salvation. There is always a big if — if you can follow the rules, then you’ll get your reward. There is only one "religion" that can guarantee a good outcome after death and at the same time, does not involve a reward for good deeds or a regimen of right living. Christianity is the only one that promises — and delivers — salvation by the grace of God. Jesus is the only one who puts no conditions on salvation except belief in him as the Son of God who died for the sins of the world.

And so we come to the middle of the crossbeam of the "identity in Christ" cross. The work of Christ, which became the work of salvation, replacing the works of humans, is the grace that is the center of our belief. The grace of God is given to us as a gift, as a special favor, and not as a reward for anything we have done. We are examples of the incredible wealth of God’s favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2).

But that can seem too easy. We always want to know, "What's the catch?" Don't we still have to do something? Grace has been misunderstood, misapplied and added to by many over the last 2,000 years. Because of the nagging doubt and suspicion that salvation by grace is too good to be true, legalism abounds. And it cropped up right at the beginning. Paul gave a bit of advice to the Galatians about this very thing. "Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised are doing it for just one reason. They don't want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save" (Galatians 6:12, NLT).

As believers in Jesus the Savior, we are under grace, not under the law (Romans 6:14 and Ephesians 2:8). What a blessing to be free of jumping through hoops and leaping over hurdles. We know our sins and sinful natures are covered by God’s grace at all times. We don't have to perform for God and we don’t have to earn our salvation.

Do all paths lead to God? There are many paths, but only one Way — and it is paved with grace. 

August - New Creatures

Seeds, bulbs, eggs, caterpillars. It takes a lot of imagination, doesn't it? When I planted flower bulbs this spring, I looked at them with a certain amount of skepticism. How could these ugly, brown, misshapen bulbs yield the beautiful flowers on the package label?

Well, with some time, water and sun, my skepticism turned to awe as first, the green shoots popped up out of the ground. Next, buds appeared. Then these pink and white, six-inch blossoms opened up. No false advertising here! What a miracle!

And here we go again - the physical is a mirror of the spiritual. Look around. Look in the mirror. How could these carnal, selfish, vain, greedy, idolatrous, etc., etc., human beings become holy and perfect, as 1 Peter 1:15 and Matthew 5:48 say we are to become? Takes a lot of imagination, which fortunately for us, God has in abundance.

We're just like those bulbs and seeds in the ground. They looked dead. There seemed to be no life in them. Before becoming Christians, we were dead in our sins. We had no life. And then something miraculous happened. When we started believing in Jesus, we became new creatures. 

The same power that raised Christ from the dead also raised us from the dead. We have been given new life, as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!"

In my article on our identity in Christ, I placed "chosen" at the foundation of the cross. "New creature" now runs up the vertical beam. God chooses us to be part of his family and then forms us into new creatures by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Just as those bulbs no longer resemble what I planted, so we, as believers, no longer resemble who we used to be. We are new. We don't think the same, behave the same or treat others the same. And one very important difference, we no longer think of Christ the way we used to. The Amplified Version of 2 Corinthians 5:16 indicates this: "Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a (purely) human point of view (in terms of natural standards of value). (No), even though we once did estimate Christ from a human viewpoint and as a man, yet now (we have such knowledge of him that) we know him no longer (in terms of the flesh)."

We have been given a new perspective on Jesus. We don't see him in human terms, the way nonbelievers might. He wasn't just a great teacher. He wasn't a good man with a good way to live. He wasn't trying to pull a fast one on the world.

He is Lord and Savior, the Son of the Living God. He is the One who died for us. He is the One who gave his life to give us life - his life. He has made us new.

July - Chosen by God

Anyone who has ever been selected for a sports team, a part in a play or for anything involving other candidates, knows the feeling of being the one chosen. It makes you feel special, preferred and favored. On the other hand, most of us know the reverse - not being chosen makes you feel left out and rejected.

God, who made us this way and understands these feelings, makes a point of saying his choice of Israel as his people was deliberate, rather than just chance or coincidence. He told them, "You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you to be his own special treasure from all the nations of the earth" (Deuteronomy 14:2, NLT). Other verses in the Old Testament show God also chose a city, priests, judges and kings.

Colossians 3:12 and 1 Thessalonians 1:4 make it plain that, like Israel, we have also been chosen, "We know that God loves you, dear brothers and sisters, and that he chose you to be his own people." This means none of us was an accident. We are all here by God's design. Everything he does is with purpose, love and wisdom.

In my last article on our identity in Christ, I placed the word chosen at the  foundation of the cross. It's something I feel is at the heart of knowing who we are in Christ and is crucial to spiritual health. If we walk around believing we are here by some whim of God or a roll of the dice, our faith will be weak and our development as mature Christians will suffer.

Each of us needs to know and believe God picked us out and called us by name. He has tapped you and me on the shoulder and said, I choose you; follow me. We can have confidence in knowing God chose us, loves us and has a plan for each of us.

What are we to do with this information, besides feeling warm and fuzzy? It's the foundation of our Christian lives. God wants us to know we are his, we are loved, we are wanted and we are provided for by our Father. But it's not because of anything we have done. As he told the Israelites in Deuteronomy 7:7: "The Lord did not choose you and lavish his love on you because you were larger or greater than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! It was simply because the Lord loves you."

Because God loves us, we can say with David: "Why am I so discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again - my Savior and my God!" (Psalm 42:5) Because we are chosen, we can hope in him, praise him and trust him. We can then turn around and radiate the joy we have in God to others.

June - Who Are You?

A popular song from the 70's asks the question, "Who are you?" It was performed, aptly enough, by a group called The Who. The song is now being used as the theme for a popular TV crime drama, which often features unidentified bodies. The investigators have only physical evidence from which to draw their conclusions.

Who are you? Would you answer this question by looking at the physical evidence? Would you reply with your family position - sister, brother, aunt, uncle, wife, husband? Or would you say a millionaire or a poor person? Would you think of your job, your hobbies, or your leisure interests - a plumber, a gardener, a sports fan? Or would you reply with your religious affiliation? A Catholic, a Buddhist, a Christian? If you said a Christian, would you go on to describe your church service or doctrinal distinctives? Or could you further describe yourself in the same way Christ would describe you?

Knowing who we are in Christ can help us understand our spiritual journey, our past, present and future, the events that befall us, both good and bad, and how to live in this present evil world.

Our identity is not with any of the external factors in our lives. Our identity is within - Christ who lives in us. He is the one who shapes us, defines us and gives us a place. Who we are on the outside is just the wrapping, just the incidentals.

Knowing our identity in Christ doesn't require us to find a formula, take a class or climb a mountain. All we have to do is look in the Bible. God tells us who we are in practically every book. We are his people, and that is good to know. But he also tells us more specifically, so there can be no doubt or confusion.

There are many identity statements for Christians in the New Testament. I have chosen six as the essence of who we are in Christ: We are chosen by God, (Col. 3:12 and 1 Thes. 1:4). We are new creatures (2 Cor. 5:17). We are under grace, not under the law (Rom. 6:14 and Eph. 2:8).

We are an expression of the life of Christ because he is our life (Col. 3:4). We have been chosen and appointed by Christ to bear his fruit (John 15:16). We are children of God and joint-heirs with Christ, sharing his inheritance with him (Gal. 4:6-7 and Rom. 8:17).

An easy way to remember our identity in Christ is to picture a cross, with "chosen" as the foundation. "New creature" forms the vertical beam, with "grace" at the intersection of the beams. On one arm is "expression of his life" and on the other is "bearing fruit." At the top is our future as "heirs."

"Who are you?" is easily answered when we look to Christ and what's on the inside, rather than looking to ourselves and what's on the outside. (Next month, "Chosen by God.")

May - Habits of the Heart

When I was a kid, time seemed to stand still. The school year was interminable. Summers seemed never-ending (almost). But as I’ve grown older, time has continued to speed up, until it seems the weeks and months are actually flying. The old cliché is true! The clock does have wings!

My kids are growing up and my parents have to listen to me complain about how old I am. I look down the road, hoping I am at the halfway mark of my life, rather than past it. And I wish I could make time slow down.

I’ve also thrown questions at God: why is life so short? Why are we so old so soon? Why do we finally start to figure things out and get a little wisdom only as we come to the end of life? And then I thank him this life isn’t all there is and I have eternity stretching ahead of me.

Is it possible to make the hands on the clock tick a little slower? Not really, but I have discovered a way to slow myself down and make the clock fade into the background for a few minutes. It happens when I become reflective.

Time slows down when I sanctify the world, rather than objectify it. When I view the world and all that is in it with appreciation. As Ken Gire says in The Reflective Life: "Much of what is sacred is hidden in the ordinary, everyday moments of our lives. To see something of the sacred in those moments takes slowing down so we can live our lives more reflectively."

You’re probably shaking your head right now, thinking, That’s easy for you to say, but it won’t work in my life. Well, I’m busy too. But the key is not "slow down," rather, "see the sacred in the ordinary moments." It happens when we learn to notice what is all around us. The sacred is in a person, a laugh, a smile, a flower, the clouds and colors. We can look for God in these things, then praise and thank him.

Ken Gire says there are three habits of the heart that nurture a reflective life: "reading the moment, reflecting on the moment and responding to the moment. These habits can be applied to a passage of Scripture, a photograph, a person on the street, an advertisement in a magazine, a movie, something in nature, whatever we see or hear or in some way experience" (The Reflective Life).

He says we can practice using our eyes to see what’s on the surface, engage our minds to see what’s beneath the surface, then give what we have seen a place to live in our heart and allow it to grow there, upward to God and outward to other people.

These habits of the heart won’t make time stop or slow down, but they can help us all enjoy the time we have and give it more meaning. Let’s employ that other old cliché about taking time to stop and smell the roses and use these habits to give them a place to grow for eternity.

April - A Better Way

My daughter recently asked me, "Mom, is there really more than one way to skin a cat?" I laughed. She knew what the saying meant, but she really did wonder about that poor cat. There usually is more than one way to do something. When we talk about getting difficult things done, we Americans use the saying about "good old American ingenuity." And then there's the cliché, "Necessity is the mother of invention." If the first thing you try doesn't work, you just back up and have another go at it.

When Jesus taught people about himself and God's ways, he brought a new perspective on everything. He showed them a better way, a way of the spirit of the law, rather than the letter. He showed them the way of love, rather than judging and measuring. He brought them (and us) a better way.

But he was adamant about the one way to attain salvation. His many stories about the law being inadequate pointed out that for some things there is only one way. The way to salvation is through Jesus and Jesus alone. "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life," he said in John 14:6, leaving no doubt that we needn't look further (NLT throughout).

Peter told Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander and other relatives of the high priest that there is salvation in no one but Jesus. "There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them" (Acts 4:12). Paul reiterates this in his letter to Timothy: "For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus" (I Timothy 2:5).

Even so, there are still some who insist on looking for options and alternatives. What? You can't tell me there's only one way. I want my freedom of choice! Many try alternate religions. Eastern movements are growing in popularity. Some want a spiritual experience, but without the structure of a church. Some turn to the occult. And then there are the Christians who feel they have to go beyond the basics of just believing in Christ. It's called "Christ-plus."

Maybe the simple act of believing, without doing anything, seems way too easy. Or too simple. Or it seems to let some off the hook, like the thief on the cross whose simple request to be remembered by Jesus was granted. Could a criminal's record - whose heinous acts demanded crucifixion - be wiped out with one simple statement of faith in the stranger on the next cross? The thief's belief was enough for Jesus. Without hesitation, he promised this man eternity in paradise (Luke 23:42-43).

Jesus tells us we don't need to look for alternatives, options or other ways of skinning the proverbial cat. We need only confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts God raised him from the dead, and we will be saved (Romans 10:9).

March - Are You Waving Off Your Sins?

Drivers in California are an interesting group of people. They really love their cars and they love driving them. They also spend a lot of time on the freeway. Some of these drivers have found productive ways to use those hours stuck in traffic jams. Putting on make-up, reading the paper, eating, and of course, talking on their cell phones are just a few of the preferred rush-hour activities.

One interesting thing I've seen drivers do is the little wave. This is what a driver does when he or she has done something either annoying, illegal or even dangerous. The hand goes up and moves, just a little. It can mean, "I'm sorry," or "Thank you." It may mean "I don't normally do this, but I hope you won't mind." It sometimes means, "I know this is wrong, but if I don't cut in front of you, I'll miss my turn."

Have you ever found yourself doing a little wave to God? Maybe you're doing something you realize is a sin, so you wave to God as if to say, well, I know it's wrong, but just this once, Lord. Or maybe you do the wave to God when you've rationalized an action and then got caught. Perhaps it's a kick-the-cat day and you yelled at an irritating door-to-door salesperson, and then realized your next door neighbor was weeding her flower bed on the other side of the fence and couldn't help overhearing.

People who feel no responsibility to God probably feel a little wave is all it takes to make things right, especially since so few believe in absolutes today. For some people, there is no truth, no right and wrong. Many people eat, drink and make merry with no thought for the day of reckoning.

Somehow I don't think a wave will cut it with God when it's time to stand before him and own up to our actions here on earth. The only thing acceptable to God is the same thing that got the Israelites through the final plague - blood.

Instead of a wave, God wants to see the blood of Jesus on the doorposts of our hearts. He is the one who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood (Rev. 1:5). His sacrifice was once for all, but repentance is something that must be continual. But how many of us have fallen into the habit of waving instead of truly repenting of the sin that so easily besets us (Heb. 12:1)?

Let's all stop doing the wave, which could be likened to the unproductive worldly sorrow of 2 Cor. 7:10. Instead let's take the time for true repentance, which leads to salvation. A lifestyle of repentance will ensure that the blood of Jesus on our hearts' doorposts will stay fresh. Then God will do the wave to us, right into his presence.

February - He Loves Me Anyway

I tend to do things in spurts. It seems to be a human tendency, to be excited about something and enthusiastically pursue it, then just fizzle out. I do this with exercise programs. I've started several different exercise regimens over the years. In college, I ran and played tennis. For a while, I joined a fitness club and worked out regularly. Later, I exercised to videotapes in my living room. Now I walk. Sometimes I exercise every day, then I'll skip a few weeks for various reasons, then I'll go back and it's like starting over.

I go in spurts spiritually too. Sometimes I meditate and write in my journal every day, then I'll move on to a prepared study and forget the journal. At other times in my life, I've read through the Bible and abandoned the studies. I've picked up devotionals, then left them for other books. At times I've even left off praying for periods of time or not opened my Bible for a while.

I've beaten myself up about this, believing it was a character flaw, and perhaps it is. Thankfully God understands how I am. He knows I'm inconsistent and fickle, but he loves me anyway.

Many years ago he helped me set the direction of my life - toward him. He called me by name to be one of his children, to know him and his love and to be redeemed by his Son. And even though I wander in and out of faithfulness to God, myself, my family and certain ways of doing things, I am always moving in the same direction - toward God.

A.W. Tozer put it this way: "I would emphasize this one committal, this one great volitional act which establishes the heart's intention to gaze forever upon Jesus. God takes this intention for our choice and makes what allowances he must for the thousand distractions which beset us in this evil world. He knows that we have set the direction of our hearts toward Jesus, and we can know it too, and comfort ourselves with the knowledge that a habit of soul is forming which will become after a while a sort of spiritual reflex requiring no more conscious effort on our part" (The Pursuit of God, p. 82).

Isn't it great to know God completely understands the fickleness of the human heart? And isn't it also great to know he helps us stay pointed in the right direction, always set toward his face? As Tozer says, if our hearts are set toward Jesus long enough, we will form that habit of soul that will take us right into eternity with God.

Thankfully God is not fickle. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He never does things in spurts, with starts and stops. He is always faithful, sticking with us through our unfaithfulness.

Thank God he is not like us. Thank God his thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).

January - Why Didn't God Answer?

"Why didn't God answer my prayer?" I always tell myself there must be a good reason. Maybe I wasn't praying according to his will, which I know is a biblically based condition for answered prayers.

Maybe I have unrepented sin in my life. I know my prayers are more likely to be answered if I'm abiding in Christ and also abiding in his word. Maybe I lack faith. Sometimes when I pray, I ask, but I don't really believe my prayer is worth answering. God doesn't answer faithless prayers. I do believe, but like the father in Mark 9:24, I need more faith.

But perhaps one of the biggest reasons my prayers go unanswered is because God wants me to discover something more about him. When Lazarus lay dying, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother was sick. Jesus then told his disciples the sickness wouldn't result in death, but in God's glory. He waited two more days to go to Bethany.

Lazarus died, so to Mary and Martha, their prayer went unanswered. Jesus knew if he didn't answer the prayer right away, Mary and Martha, as well as the disciples and everyone watching this drama unfold, would discover something very important.

When Martha confronted him about his delay, he told her Lazarus would rise again. But, she already understood there would be a resurrection. What she didn't know was what Jesus told her next: that he himself is the resurrection and the life and whoever believes in him will live, even though death will come.

Martha said she believed he was the Christ (John 11:23-27), but how much more did she believe when she saw her brother come to life.

Right before he called Lazarus from the grave, Jesus said his prayer was "for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that (God) sent me" (John 11:42). If Jesus had answered the prayer as soon as it was spoken, many people would have missed the greater lesson.

What would happen in our lives and in our spiritual growth if all our prayers were answered right away, just the way we wanted? We would soon come to think of God as our personal genie and never really know him.

God's awareness reaches far beyond ours and he knows who needs what, when and how much. He takes everyone's needs into account. If he says yes to me, it might not be the best for you.

The next time you feel God has left you hanging with an unanswered prayer, look beyond yourself to the discoveries awaiting you and those around you. Like Martha, let's proclaim our belief in Christ, the Son of God, and wait on the one who knows what's best for everyone.