John 11:1-10

John 11:1-10 - Daily Devotion - 10 August 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 1 At this time a man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (Mary, whose brother Lazarus was sick, was to anoint the Lord with perfume and wipe His feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one You love is sick.”4 When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So on hearing that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was for two days, 7 and then He said to the disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”8 “Rabbi,” they replied, “the Jews just tried to stone You, and You are going back there?”9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? If anyone walks in the daytime, he will not stumble, because he sees by the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks at night, he will stumble, because he has no light.”REFLECTIONSWritten by Vinh DangThe passage today really challenged me to think about how I respond when God doesn't answer my prayers in the way or timing that I expect. When Lazarus became sick, Mary and Martha knew that Jesus loved them, so they expected that Jesus' response was going to be quick. Instead, Jesus waited two more days before telling his disciples that they should go back to Judea (verse 6). At first, this was hard to understand, but it reminded me that God's timing may not be the same as mine. Even when I cannot see what He is doing, I can trust that He has a greater purpose.Another thing that stood out to me was that Jesus' delay was not because He didn't care. In fact, John makes a point of saying that Jesus loved Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. This encourages me as there are times when I feel like God is distant or slow to answer my prayers. This passage tells me that His silence does not mean he has ignored me. Instead, He may be working in ways that I cannot yet understand. It is for God’s glory, as Jesus says in verse 4. I was also encouraged by Jesus' determination to return to Judea, even though it was dangerous (verse 7). Jesus was not controlled by His fear but by obedience to His Father. This particular part of the passage challenged me to think about whether I sometimes allow fear to stop me from doing what God wants me to do. I want to trust God more and follow Him faithfully, knowing that He is in control of my life.God's plans are always better than mine, and He is always working for His glory and the good of His people. I pray that we would all become more patient, trust in God's good timing, and continue to follow Him confidently, even when we don't understand what He is doing. ABOUT THE AUTHORVinh is a member of our Fairfield Evening congregation.