Can These Dry Bones Live?

I have a situation in my life that is dead...like "Lazarus dead"...people say..."aww j-give up" or "it's over...The writing is on the wall". They tell me the situation is hopeless, move on with my life...chalk it up as a loss, and try again. Behind my back, they call me stupid, desperate, a fanatic,and a fool among many other things. (Its cool ya'll...i'll be that) I admit, LOOKING at the situation...its oddly reminiscent of Lazarus...stinking and in the grave, and has been for a long time.

So...I decided to read the story of Lazarus. *John 11:1-44. And I saw that Lazarus had been in the grave for 4 DAYS!!! But, I didn't know what that really meant...how dead is 4 days dead?

So...I looked up what a decomposing body looks like after 4 days...I read in detail what happens to it. In short, the body temperature would be room temperature (approximately 70°F: basically 28 degrees cooler than normal body temperature.) It would be beyond rigor mortis (stiff), and in an active decomposing state. The gasses would have blistered the body which is now a greenish-bluish color. The face would be unrecognizable. There would be a fetid smell of rotting meat. The body would be grotesquely bloated with fluids leaking from every orafice. I know it's gross...but, I needed to know just how dead Lazarus was.

My research concluded...He was good and dead. No electric pulsing paddles or a shot of ephedrine to the heart was bringing him back. Nothing in human effort could fix Lazarus...He. was. Dead. Jesus said so himself in verse 14.

Jesus TOOK HIS TIME to get to his friend that he deeply loved...that he KNEW was at first sick and then dead. He did it knowing that the situation would "honor God and to promote His glory, that the Son of God (Jesus) would be glorified through (by) it." (Verse 4.) He SPOKE and said...This sickness is not to end in death...but Lazarus DIED...like 4 days dead...dead, dead.

Stay with me...I'm getting somewhere.

When Jesus got there...Martha (Lazarus' sister) came out and said "had you been here, my brother would still be alive."...however...she said NEVERTHELESS whatever you ask from God...I know that he will give it to you. How often do we say that to God? "If you would have Intervened, GOD! such and such wouldn't have happened!!!" (enter shaking fist at the sky right here*)

When he came to where Lazarus was buried...The verse that everybody knows..."Jesus wept." (Verse 35) happened. He didn't weep because he was sad about His friend...He wept because of the people's unbelief. They looked at the situation and said... "aww j-give up" or "it's over...The writing is on the wall". "The situation is hopeless, move on with your life...chalk it up as a loss, and try again." The situation was "too dead in their eyes." Martha didn't even want to move away the stone from the tomb because she knew that her brother was in there stinking up the place...All bloated and leaking and whatnot. Even though, they were aware of, and had actually seen many of the miracles he had done in the past...they felt that THIS was just too far gone...even for Jesus. (Sound familiar?)

Against their best mind...they opened the tomb...they opened up the stinking, putrid problem, and gave it to God. Jesus said a prayer out loud for the benefit of the people...because He knew that God had heard him when he said way back in verse 4...that this sickness was not ending in death...After he prayed, simply thanking God that he heard him the FIRST TIME (he didn't ask again.) He commanded Lazarus to come out...and here comes Lazarus...WHOLE. unbloated...recognizable...not leaking out of every hole...not green and blue...regular body temp...unblistered skin, no maggots...perfect in anyway.

Now you can say, "jj...The Bible doesn't say all that"...but first of all...If you keep reading...everybody marveled at what Jesus did, and they recognized Lazarus. Do you really think that people would be marveling and telling everybody else about some stinking zombie, with rotted flesh hanging off of him, running around, scaring people, and asking Jesus to do a miracle in their own life? I don't think so. Second, Do you think that the Pharasees (pious, religious folk) would want to kill Lazarus AGAIN (12:10) to get people to stop talking about him and Jesus, if he was all jacked up looking?? Absolutely not. It's just common sense.

So...After all that here is my point. I'm GLAD the situation in my life is no longer just sick...but dead. Because, I know that a resurrection is coming soon. How do I know that? I'm glad you asked me...

No...I'm not Jesus. However, because I am a believer, I have the right to use his word and his name. I have done that, and have spoken what I want to see to my dead situation. (Stuff from the word of God like...This is not unto death. God will get the glory out of my situation. No weapon formed against my situation will prosper...etc)

I refuse to make Jesus weep by doubting. I know that nothing is impossible for Him. I refuse to give up...I am learning to be excited in my waiting...even though my "Lazarus" is decomposing more and more every minute. I know that while I'm waiting...NOTHING can separate me from the love of God. He won't leave me high and dry because he said that he will never leave me or forsake me. He said that he will not allow me to be put to shame. And that he will repay me double for my trouble. I know that he said that ANYTHING I ask for in Jesus' name (I have), if I believe that I receive it (I do) I SHALL have it. Not might...but will. I KNOW that resurrection of my dead situation is on its way.

So I've said it. I believe it. That settles it. It's done.

Now...I just wait. The stone has been rolled away...there's nothing left for me to do in my human efforts. I said that this situation will not end In death. God heard me when I said it the FIRST TIME...so now I'm just thanking Him that he's got this covered...and best believe me when I say...Lazarus SHALL be coming forth. He sho nuff is. I ain't afraid of him being dead for 4 days. Nothing is impossible with God. Ooh goody...This is gonna be good.
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