OUR DAILY BREAD READING (Published Daily by Our Daily Bread Ministries)
JANUARY 17, 2023
READ: John 11 (Focus vs.17–27)
MEMORY VERSE
“Your brother will rise again.” John 11:23
BACKGROUND
As a visitor to a small West African town, my American pastor made sure to arrive on time for a 10 a.m. Sunday service. Inside the humble sanctuary, however, he found the room empty. So he waited. One hour. Two hours.
Finally, about 12:30 p.m., when the local pastor arrived after his long walk there—followed by some choir members and a gathering of friendly town people—the service began “in the fullness of time,” as my pastor later said.
“The Spirit welcomed us, and God wasn’t late.” My pastor understood the culture was different here for its own good reasons.
Time seems relative, but God’s perfect, on-time nature is affirmed throughout the Scriptures. Thus, after Lazarus got sick and died, Jesus arrived four days later, with Lazarus’ sisters asking why.
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). We may think the same, wondering why God doesn’t hurry to fix our problems. Better instead to wait by faith for His answers and power.
As theologian Howard Thurman wrote, “We wait, our Father, until at last something of thy strength becomes our strength, something of thy heart becomes our heart, something of thy forgiveness becomes our forgiveness.
We wait, O God, we wait.” Then, as with Lazarus, when God responds, we’re miraculously blessed by what wasn’t, after all, a delay.
By: Patricia Raybon
INSIGHT
Jewish customs mandated a corpse be buried within twenty-four hours of death. In John 11, we’re told that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days when Jesus arrived (vv. 17, 39) to show the magnitude of the miracle.
This wasn’t an emergency situation where a person in cardiac arrest was successfully resuscitated. Lazarus was well past the timeframe for this.
Jesus had previously raised two other dead persons (Luke 7:11–17; 8:49–56), but these resurrections took place before decomposition of the bodies had begun.
According to rabbinic beliefs, the spirit of the deceased hovers around the body for three days in the hope of reuniting with it. But the spirit will finally leave when the body has decomposed. This would have been the case for Lazarus: “By this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days” (John 11:39).
By: K. T. Sim
APPLICATION
What are you waiting for God to do or provide on your behalf? How can you wait by faith?
PR’s (PASTOR RICHARD) TAKE
“They say God’s time is the best, But you have to believe that God’s plan is the best also…” The two work in tandem – Goals Rider (Adapted)
PR’s RE-EMPHASIS (From Post)
Time seems relative, but God’s perfect, on-time nature is affirmed throughout the Scriptures… We wait, O God, we wait. then…when God responds, we’re miraculously blessed by what wasn’t, after all, a delay.
PRAYER
“For You, Father, I wait. Grant me Your strength and faithful hope in my waiting.”
TODAY’s HYMN/WORSHIP/PRAISE/GOSPEL SONG
“I DON’T MIND WAITING” JUANITA BYNUM
You, know
Sometimes in life
Situations are going to occur
Where you may look to the left or the right
And you can’t find any answers
And you can’t find anybody to help you
But I’m reminded of the Word that says;
They that wait upon the Lord
…shall renew their strength
They shall mount up on wings as eagles
They shall run and not be weary
They shall walk and not faint
Come on
You’ve got to learn how to wait
I don’t mind waiting
I don’t mind waiting
I don’t mind waiting, on You Lord
I don’t mind waiting…
Don’t mind
I don’t mind waiting
I’m gonna wait on
I don’t mind waiting, on You Lord
(On You Lord) (I don’t mind)
I don’t mind waiting
Because I know He’ll come after a while
I don’t mind waiting
I don’t mind waiting…
I’m waiting right here
Because I know You’ll come
I don’t mind waiting (Yes, I will)
I don’t mind waiting (Yes, I will)
I don’t mind waiting, on the Lord (Yes!)
I don’t mind waiting
I don’t mind waiting
It’s a long, long way
(But) I don’t mind waiting…
I don’t mind waiting
I don’t mind waiting…
READING THROUGH THE BIBLE DAILY IN 2023
GENESIS 41-43
MATTHEW 12:1-23