John 11:5–6 (GNT) says, “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he received the news that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days.” This passage has always troubled me whenever I read it. Each time I come across it, many questions rise in my heart, and sometimes I do not immediately have answers to them. It presents a situation that challenges natural human understanding, and calls for understanding God in difficult times.
How can the Bible clearly state that Jesus loved Lazarus, yet when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He delayed for two more days? Should He not have stood up immediately and rushed to him? Was He too occupied, or did He consider what He was doing more important than going to help someone He loved? If I am being honest, if I had been there watching this unfold, I might have concluded that Jesus did not truly love Lazarus. It would have looked like a contradiction—love expressed in words but not demonstrated in action.
Many of us are currently facing situations that require urgent attention. We cry out to God, believing that He is loving and able to intervene. Some have fasted and prayed for years over a particular issue. Some spend nights in tears, asking God to step in and change their situation. Yet, despite all this, it sometimes feels as though heaven is silent.
At such moments, difficult questions begin to surface. Does God truly love me? Does He really do what His Word says? Will He ever show up in my situation? As time goes on and nothing seems to change, discouragement can begin to set in. We start to feel that if God does not act now, it may already be too late.
However, there is an important truth we must come to terms with: God’s timing is different from ours. What looks like delay from our perspective is not delay in God’s plan. Sometimes, what feels like silence is actually preparation, and in those moments, when disappointment is mercy, we begin to see that God is working beyond what we can understand. When you are within God’s purpose, what appears to be a delay can eventually turn into a blessing that you could not have produced on your own.
Before Lazarus died, Jesus made a statement in John 11:4 (GNT): “This has happened in order to bring glory to God, and it will be the means by which the Son of God will receive glory.” From this, we can begin to understand that there was a deeper purpose behind the delay. It was not neglect. It was intentional. It was part of a larger plan that would reveal something greater.
The first reason we can see is that God wants the glory. Sometimes God allows delay because He intends to display a greater level of His power. If Jesus had healed Lazarus immediately, it would have been another healing miracle among many others. But because He delayed, Lazarus was raised from the dead after four days. The outcome was far more impactful, and the glory that followed was undeniable. The delay created the opportunity for a greater demonstration of God’s power.
The second reason is that God also desires to bring you into a place of honor. The miracle did not only glorify God—it also elevated Lazarus in a way that could not be ignored. Sometimes, God delays because He wants to announce you in a special way. He wants to do something so significant in your life that it draws attention to His work in you. What may feel like abandonment could actually be a carefully arranged divine moment.
So if you have been praying, fasting, and crying, and it seems like God is not responding, hold on to this truth. Delay does not mean denial. Silence does not mean absence. Waiting does not mean rejection. What you are experiencing may be part of a process that is a necessary evil, preparing a greater testimony—for God’s glory and for your upliftment.
Whenever you experience prolonged delay, remind yourself of this: God wants the glory, and He also wants you to share in the honor. Stay encouraged even when it is difficult. Stay trusting even when answers are not immediate. Stay motivated, knowing that God is still at work behind the scenes. The God who waited two days is still the God who raises the dead.
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