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Sermon by Pastor Mark Johnson, Elkhart Life Church, October 11, 2026 (John 11)

There are moments in life when it feels like God is absent, silent, or simply too late. The story of Lazarus in John 11 speaks directly to that feeling and reveals something powerful about the nature of God and how He works in ways we cannot always predict or understand.

Does God See What You Are Going Through?

One of the greatest lies the enemy whispers is that God does not see your situation. That He does not know. That He does not care. But Scripture and the story of Lazarus push back hard against that lie.

God sees you. He knows exactly where you are, what you are facing, and what you feel. The question is not whether God is aware of your circumstances. The question is whether you trust Him enough to wait for His answer, even when it does not come the way you expected.

Why Did Jesus Wait When Lazarus Was Dying?

Lazarus was not a stranger to Jesus. He was a close friend. Mary and Martha, his sisters, had opened their home to Jesus and His disciples regularly. They fed Him, housed Him, and supported His ministry. These were people Jesus loved deeply.

So when word came that Lazarus was sick and dying, the response from Jesus was shocking. He did not rush to the bedside. He did not call a prayer meeting. He waited. And then He said something that must have been almost impossible to hear:

"These things He said, and after that He said to them, 'Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.'" - John 11:11 New King James Version (NKJV)

And then plainly, without apology:

"Then Jesus said to them plainly, 'Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.'" - John 11:14-15 New King James Version (NKJV)

Glad. He said He was glad. If you try to read that without knowing the end of the story, it sounds almost cruel. But that is exactly the point.

What Happens When God's Ways Do Not Make Sense to Us

When Martha met Jesus on the road, she said what most of us would have said:

"Now Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.'" - John 11:21 New King James Version (NKJV)

She was not wrong. Jesus could have healed Lazarus. That is the truth. And sometimes the enemy's arguments are mostly right. Mostly right, and always wrong.

The devil wants you to take a truth, fly one degree off course with it, and end up miles away from where God wants you. The equation in your mind can start to look like this:

  • God did not show up when I needed Him.
  • Therefore, He must not love me.
  • Therefore, He is not enough for my situation.
  • Therefore, He does not see me or care what I am going through.

That is the enemy's math. And it leads you away from faith, not toward it.

God's Thoughts Are Higher Than Our Thoughts

You cannot figure out how God does His job. His ways are not your ways. His thoughts are not your thoughts. Trying to predict or prescribe how God should handle your situation is a fool's errand, not because you are foolish, but because He operates on a completely different level than anything you or anyone else can achieve.

"'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.'" - Isaiah 55:8-9 New King James Version (NKJV)

God is not obligated to explain His timeline to you. He is not going to tell you what is going to happen, when it is going to happen, or exactly what you need to do about it. What He asks is that you trust Him.

No One at the Tomb Saw It Coming

When Jesus arrived at the tomb of Lazarus, there was no faith in the room. There was grief, confusion, and even frustration. The mourners were weeping. The religious leaders were questioning. Mary fell at His feet in heartbreak. Martha was trying to reason with Him about the smell.

Nobody was standing there saying, "He is about to raise Lazarus from the dead. Roll that stone away, boys."

Not one person had an idea of what was about to happen. And yet Jesus wept with them in their pain before He moved in His power.

"Jesus wept." - John 11:35 New King James Version (NKJV)

He felt their grief. He was moved by their loss. And then He said, "Roll away the stone."

What Does the Resurrection of Lazarus Teach Us About Faith?

After four days in the tomb, with every natural and medical reason to believe it was over, Jesus called out:

"Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth!'" - John 11:43 New King James Version (NKJV)

And Lazarus came out.

This is the moment Jesus had been waiting for. Not because He did not care about the pain in between. But because He wanted to reveal something greater than a healing. He wanted to reveal resurrection power. He wanted them, and us, to know that He is the answer even when every sign says it is too late.

He was glad because He knew what was coming. They were grieving because they could not see it yet.

God Is Your Answer, Even When You Cannot See How

Whatever you are facing right now, whether it is a health crisis, a financial struggle, a broken relationship, or a fear you cannot shake, God is not absent from it. He sees it. He knows it. And He has an answer.

You may not know how He is going to move. You may not know when. But you can know who. And that is enough to stand on.

Do not let the enemy steal your confidence in God. Do not let unanswered prayers become proof in your mind that God does not care. The delay is not the denial. The silence is not the absence. Sometimes God is waiting for the moment where His power will be most clearly revealed, not just for your sake, but for the sake of everyone watching.

"Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!" - Psalm 27:14 New King James Version (NKJV)

Life Application

This week, identify one situation in your life where you have been tempted to believe that God does not see you, does not care, or has arrived too late. Write it down. Then, instead of rehearsing the problem, spend time each day declaring out loud that God sees you, that He knows your situation, and that He is your answer even if you cannot yet see how.

Choose to trust the who, even when you do not know the how or the when.

Ask yourself these questions as you reflect:

  • Have I been trying to tell God how He should handle my situation instead of trusting that His ways are higher than mine?
  • Is there a place in my life where I have allowed the enemy's "mostly right" argument to pull me one degree off course from faith?
  • Am I willing to wait on God, even when everything around me says it is too late?
  • Do I truly believe that God sees me and is actively working in my circumstances, even when I cannot feel it?

God is not late. He is not absent. He is not unaware. He is the God who calls the dead by name and commands them to live. Whatever tomb you are standing in front of today, He has not forgotten you. He sees you. And He is glad, because He already knows what He is about to do.