God Has Not Forgotten You

[00:00:00] Welcome to the Prayer Is Breathing podcast. You are now tuned in. Thank you for listening and thank you for subscribing. My name is Latoya. Be sure to share this podcast with some friends. And today I just want to remind you that God has not forgotten you. God has not forgotten you. And sometimes it may feel like it, but he has not.

[00:00:25] The word tells us in Hebrews, never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. And so you can stand on that. You can stand on the fact that the Lord has not forgotten you.

[00:00:36] So right before we jump into the word, I just want to remind you for the women, I host the Ladies Bible Studies every Monday night at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time via Zoom.

[00:00:46] So you can join us virtually via Zoom. You can sign up on Eventbrite and type in the Equipping Women's Bible Study. Again, that's every Monday night at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

[00:00:59] All right, let's jump right into John chapter 11, a very familiar passage about Lazarus. But I want us to really study and look into the word as it relates to God and the fact that he's always with us, even when it seems like he's not.

[00:01:16] And so there's times where the enemy may lie to you or you may just feel like God has forgotten you, that he's delaying, that he's not coming, that he's forsaken you.

[00:01:26] But I want to encourage you and let you know that that is not the case at all.

[00:01:31] All right, let's jump right in. John chapter 11 says,

[00:01:35] Now,

[00:02:09] That's verse 5. I love how the Lord is so kind just to have that verse right in there that we understand and know that Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

[00:02:21] Okay, verse 6.

[00:02:23] So when he heard that he was sick, he stayed more days, two more days in the place where he was.

[00:02:29] Then after this, he said to the disciples, let us go to Judea again.

[00:02:35] Okay, now I want to just pause here.

[00:02:37] Again, we're in John chapter 11, just read verses 1 through 7.

[00:02:41] And in the midst of this, while Lazarus is sick and Jesus gets the word, even though he loves Martha and Mary and Lazarus, he still delays.

[00:02:53] And so what I understand from this is that even when there's a delay, even when it seems like there's no answer to your prayer, even when it seems like you're in an urgent situation, it also means that you can't forsake the fact that God loves you, even in that place.

[00:03:12] So even in this place where Lazarus is so sick, the Bible lets us know, verse 5, right in the middle, in the heart of this story, it just tells us in the word of God, the word of God tells us, now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

[00:03:27] And I want to tell you that whatever the circumstance, whatever you're facing, whatever you are going through, you are still loved by God, even when it seems like God is delaying, even when it seems like God isn't answering your prayers.

[00:03:41] Because in verse 6, we see that Jesus stayed exactly where he was at two more days.

[00:03:46] So we would think in our mind when it says in verse 5, now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, so he hurried up and ran as fast as he could and went right to be with them where they were.

[00:03:57] But it doesn't say that.

[00:03:59] It says, so when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was.

[00:04:07] Now, two days is a long time when you're in crisis.

[00:04:10] Two days is a really long time when your brother is sick.

[00:04:14] Two days is really a long time.

[00:04:16] But we see this in verse 4.

[00:04:18] It says, when Jesus heard that, he said, this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.

[00:04:27] And sometimes we don't understand why God allows us to go through certain things.

[00:04:33] And he told the disciples here why this was happening.

[00:04:37] And he said to them, this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God.

[00:04:41] So even when we do not have the answers, even when things do not make sense, we can still trust the fact that God loves us.

[00:04:50] So God loves us and there's nothing that changes God's love for us.

[00:04:56] All right.

[00:04:57] Verse 8.

[00:04:58] The disciples said to him, Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone you and you are going there again.

[00:05:04] Jesus answered, are there not 12 hours in the day?

[00:05:06] If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world.

[00:05:11] So he goes in and then verse 11, he says, these things he said.

[00:05:15] And after that, he said to them, our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him.

[00:05:21] Verse 14.

[00:05:22] He tells them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

[00:05:25] And then verse 15.

[00:05:27] He says, I am glad for your sakes that I was not there that you may believe.

[00:05:32] Nevertheless, let us go to him.

[00:05:34] So of course, he goes to Bethany and he goes and verse 20 says, then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him.

[00:05:47] But Mary was sitting in the house.

[00:05:50] Now, Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

[00:05:55] But even now, I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.

[00:05:59] Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again.

[00:06:02] Martha said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection of the last day.

[00:06:08] Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life.

[00:06:12] He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live.

[00:06:16] And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.

[00:06:19] Do you believe this?

[00:06:21] And so what I love about this passage is how intentional Jesus is.

[00:06:27] And I love that even when they heard that Jesus was coming, Martha went out to see Jesus.

[00:06:34] But Mary actually stayed in the house.

[00:06:36] And sometimes when you feel forgotten or you feel forsaken or you feel alone, it's easy to retreat.

[00:06:43] It's easy to just go into a corner and feel like God has left you and just to be sad.

[00:06:48] But I want to tell you that God had them on his mind.

[00:06:53] The Lord Jesus, even in this passage, he understood and he had them on his mind.

[00:06:59] And he knew that all of this would work out for the glory of God.

[00:07:04] And so sometimes in the middle or in the in between, of course, we know the end of the story that Lazarus raises from the dead.

[00:07:11] Many people believe in Jesus because of it.

[00:07:16] And so indeed, God got all of the glory from this story.

[00:07:21] But in the middle of this story, in the darkest times, we see that it's easy to feel like God has forgotten you.

[00:07:30] And then Mary follows up here when she sees Jesus in verse 32.

[00:07:36] Then when Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

[00:07:47] Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her weeping, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled.

[00:07:53] And he said, where have you laid him?

[00:07:55] Then they said to him, Lord, come and see.

[00:07:58] Jesus wept.

[00:07:59] Then the Jews said, see how he loved him.

[00:08:03] Okay.

[00:08:04] And then, of course, he speaks to Lazarus and commands Lazarus to come from the dead in verse 43.

[00:08:11] And he does in verse 44.

[00:08:13] And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with his grave clothes or grave clothes.

[00:08:19] And his face was wrapped with a cloth.

[00:08:20] Jesus said to him, loose him and let him go.

[00:08:24] So, in the midst of all of this, God knew exactly what he was doing.

[00:08:29] The same way that God knows exactly what he is doing in your life.

[00:08:34] And when you don't know and when you don't have all the answers, all you have to do is stand on the word of God and allow the word of God to be the anchor for your very soul.

[00:08:45] When you have circumstances or situations that can sway back and forth and you don't know how the story is going to end, that's not the time to let your guard down.

[00:08:56] That's not the time to start believing the lies of the enemy and believing that God has forgotten you because he hasn't.

[00:09:03] And so you have to stand on the word of God when nothing else makes sense because God knows it all together.

[00:09:11] He knows the end from the beginning.

[00:09:13] And then, of course, we have Hebrews 13, chapter 5 says, let your conduct be without covetousness.

[00:09:20] Be content with such things as you have.

[00:09:23] For he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.

[00:09:28] And so that's the promise of God that he will not leave us, that he will not forsake us.

[00:09:34] So in the moments when you feel forgotten, here's a few pointers.

[00:09:39] Number one, recognize that this is a feeling.

[00:09:43] OK, it's a feeling, but it's not fact.

[00:09:45] Number two, stand on the word of God.

[00:09:48] Even Hebrews 13, 5, where it says, I will never leave you nor forsake you.

[00:09:52] You have to get you some scriptures so that you can walk by faith and not necessarily by how you feel.

[00:09:59] Third point is to encourage yourself in the Lord.

[00:10:02] We see that with David, where he said, I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

[00:10:10] And so even in that scripture verse, we have to understand that it's important to encourage yourself in the Lord to really believe that you're going to see the goodness of God.

[00:10:21] And then, of course, you have to make sure that you silence the enemy, casting down every thought and every high thing that exalt itself against the knowledge of God.

[00:10:30] And so even the thought of abandonment or the thought of being forsaken, you have to pull those things down and know what the word of God says.

[00:10:39] And I just want to encourage you today that God loves you so much and he sees everything and he will be with you.

[00:10:46] If you just put your trust in the Lord, you put your trust and your hope in Jesus and you depend on him, know that God will keep you in perfect peace.

[00:10:57] Know that God will strengthen your heart even when you feel discouraged and alone.

[00:11:02] Know that you have the resurrection power, the Holy Spirit of God living and dwelling on the inside of you.

[00:11:10] And so you're never alone.

[00:11:11] You're never forsaken and you're always victorious in Christ Jesus.

[00:11:17] So I just want to pray a prayer for you.

[00:11:19] God, I pray for every person that may feel heavy or feel forgotten or forsaken.

[00:11:25] I pray, God, that you would strengthen their heart.

[00:11:27] I pray, God, that you would renew their strength.

[00:11:30] I pray, God, that you would just remove every lie of the enemy, every form of feelings of abandonment or just being lost and lonely and all of alone.

[00:11:40] God, I just pray for your joy and your peace to fill every person listening to this podcast.

[00:11:46] I pray, God, for just your supernatural grace, God, to continue to move forward and to hold just their head up.

[00:11:55] God, you're the lifter of our heads.

[00:11:57] And so, God, I pray today in the name of Jesus that by your spirit, God, there will be a tangible presence of your love because you are love and you love us so much that you sent your only begotten son to die on the cross for our sins.

[00:12:13] And, God, I thank you that everything that you have begun, you will finish.

[00:12:17] I thank you, God, that you didn't bring us this far to leave us.

[00:12:19] And I just pray right now that you would strengthen every heart, every heart, oh, God, in the name of Jesus.

[00:12:27] Hallelujah.

[00:12:28] Be encouraged that the Lord is with you.

[00:12:31] He is still Emmanuel, God with us.

[00:12:35] So just remember that.

[00:12:37] Hallelujah.

[00:12:38] All right.

[00:12:38] Thank you so much for tuning into this week's episode.

[00:12:41] If you need any Christian apparel, I would love for you to support AwakeChristianClothing.com.

[00:12:47] We have our Watch and Pray hoodies, Prayer Works, so many other designs.

[00:12:52] You can check out our website at www.awake.com.

[00:13:00] God bless you and have a victorious week.

[00:13:03] If you have any prayer requests, feel free to send those into prayerisbreathing at gmail.com.

[00:13:08] God bless you.