Do You Believe This? // John 11:25-26

Today’s verse is one I frequently use in funeral services. The graphic for the verse leaves off the very last part which is where Jesus asked Martha, “Do you believe this?” That always gets me. Have you heard that the longest distance is the 18″ that separates a person’s head and the heart? My take is Jesus asked Martha to move what she knew to be true in her head to faithful hope in her heart. I think we all must deal with the collision between expectation and reality when we face things like the death of a loved one. That’s actually the context of today’s verse which depicts a conversation between Jesus and Martha after Martha’s brother, Lazarus, died. Jesus challenged her, as He does for all of us still today, to make our head knowledge heart knowledge, too, so our faith can buoy us when the storms of life rage. That faith can help us hold on when everything else says let go. So, do you believe in the power of Jesus over the problems you face today? If so, will you allow it to give you hope even when everything feels hopeless? I pray so, because it’s in those moments when we will be challenged to give our heart to Jesus when He asks if we believe Him.