When God Seems Late: Finding Hope in Divine Timing

Have you ever missed a crucial deadline? Maybe it was a job application that closed yesterday, a business deal that slipped away, or a goodbye you never got to say. Missed moments can be frustrating but what do you do when it feels like God has missed the deadline in your life?

That’s exactly what happened to Mary and Martha in John 11.Their brother Lazarus was desperately ill. They sent for Jesus—the same Jesus who had healed strangers, opened blind eyes, and made the lame walk. The same Jesus who loved their family deeply.

But Jesus didn’t come right away. One day passed. Then two. Lazarus died. Four days later—after the burial, after the mourning Jesus finally arrived.To Mary and Martha, it felt too late. All hope seemed gone.

Why Does God Sometimes Seem Late?

When Martha ran to meet Jesus, she blurted out, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died” (v. 21). That sentence holds both grief and faith. Many of us have prayed our own version:- “Lord, if only You had answered sooner…”- “If only You had stopped this from happening…”

But Jesus’ delay wasn’t neglect it was on purpose. Earlier, when He first heard the news, He had said: “This illness will not end in death… it happened for the glory of God” (v. 4).

God doesn’t follow our timetable because He’s working on something bigger than our schedule.

Why Four Days Mattered

In Jewish tradition, people believed a soul lingered near the body for three days after death. On the fourth day, hope was considered gone.

Jesus waited precisely four days to erase any doubt. This wasn’t a lucky timing coincidence He was making it clear that His power reaches past every human limit.

When We’re in the Waiting

God’s delays are often the moments when He’s doing His deepest work. We see only silence; He sees the setup for something greater.

Where do you feel like God is “too late” in your life right now? What if the very thing you call a delay is actually preparation for His glory?

Faith and Grief Can Coexist

After Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life”, she answered, “I have always believed” (v. 27). She was still mourning, but she was still trusting.

Faith doesn’t erase sorrow. It gives us something solid to hold onto in the middle of it.

In 2010, 33 Chilean miners were trapped underground for 69 days. Families prayed relentlessly, even when hope seemed gone. Against all odds, the miners were rescued alive. That’s what faith looks like holding on to the promise when all you can see is darkness.

A God Who Weeps

One of the shortest verses in Scripture is also one of the most powerful: “Jesus wept” (v. 35).

He knew Lazarus would be alive in moments. Yet He still stopped to feel their grief. He didn’t rush past their pain He stepped into it.

This is the heart of God: not only powerful enough to raise the dead, but compassionate enough to cry with us before He does.

What Lazarus’ Story Teaches Us

- Jesus loves us deeply even when the timing doesn’t make sense.- He’s with us in the waiting even when we can’t see Him working.- Our story isn’t over the tomb is temporary, and resurrection is coming.

God is never late. He’s just not on our clock. What looks like a missed deadline to us might be perfect timing in heaven’s plan.

Life Application

This week, take these steps:1. Name your “if onlys.” Write them down. Pray them back to God honestly.2. Wait with worship. Choose a worship song to make your anthem in the waiting.3. Weep with someone. Don’t rush to fix just be present like Christ is with you.

Reflection Questions

- Where do I feel God is “too late” in my life right now?- How might this delay be preparing something greater?- When I’m waiting, am I looking for God’s presence or just watching the clock?- How can I be Christ’s compassionate presence to someone else this week?

Remember: God’s delays are not denials. They are divine appointments in disguise. Jesus wasn’t late for Lazarus He was right on time for resurrection.

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