STAYED WHERE HE WAS TWO MORE DAYS / JOHN 11:6

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) John 11:6

When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.

Trusting the Divine Delay: When Love Stays Put

We have all been there—waiting on a prayer that feels completely stagnant. We cry out in our pain, expecting an immediate rescue, only to be met with what feels like complete silence.

In the story of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, we encounter a verse that feels deeply counterintuitive. John 11:6 tells us that when Jesus heard Lazarus was sick, “he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.” [John 11:6]

At first glance, this delay looks like indifference. Lazarus was dying, and the sisters had sent an urgent plea. Yet, Jesus deliberately waited. Why would a loving savior stay put when those He loved were suffering?

The Purpose in the Pause

John makes it a point to remind us right before this verse that “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5). The delay wasn’t caused by a lack of affection; it was actually motivated by love.

Jesus delayed going to the family He loved in order to strengthen the faith of that family and His disciples. He knew that a quick healing would be wonderful, but a resurrection would be life-changing. His timing and purpose were completely different from what Mary and Martha wanted, but His plan would prove to be for the ultimate best of everyone involved.

When we look at our own lives, we often mistake God’s silence for absence. We assume that because He isn’t moving on our timeline, He doesn’t care. But John repeatedly emphasizes that Jesus shared their deep sorrow (John 11:35). He feels your pain in the waiting, even when His divine wisdom requires the pause.

Embracing God’s Timeline

God’s timing and purposes may be difficult for us to understand, particularly when we are going through tough times. However, we can rest assured that God will always respond according to His unfailing love and divine wisdom.

If you are in a “two days longer” season right now, take heart. The delay is not a denial. It is the canvas upon which God is preparing to reveal an even greater measure of His glory and power. Trust the pause, because the One who loves you is still in complete control.

A Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank You that Your love for us never fails, even when Your timing confuses us. Forgive us for the times we mistake Your silence for indifference or Your delays for denials. Lord, for everyone reading this who is currently stuck in a season of waiting—waiting for healing, waiting for a breakthrough, or waiting for an answer—grant them supernatural peace.

Strengthen our faith right here in the middle of the delay. Help us to trust that Your plans are always for our ultimate good and Your ultimate glory. We place our timelines in Your hands, knowing that You are always right on time.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Some of our Post That Might Interest You, All Out of the Current Book / Chapter

1. JESUS LOVED MARTHA AND HER SISTER AND LAZARUS / JOHN 11:5
2. SICKNESS FOR GOD’S GLORY / JOHN 11:4
3. YOU ARE GODS? / JOHN 10:34
4. THEY SHALL NEVER PERISH / JOHN 10:28
5. MY SHEEP LISTEN TO MY VOICE / JOHN 10:27
6. I KNOW MY SHEEP / JOHN 10:14-15
7. I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD / JOHN 10:11
8. THE THIEF COMES … I HAVE COME / JOHN 10:10
9. I AM THE GATE / JOHN 10:9
10. JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD / JOHN 10:1
11. THOSE WHO SEE WILL BECOME BLIND / JOHN 9:39
12. THEY THREW HIM OUT / JOHN 9:34
13. WORK OF GOD MIGHT BE DISPLAYED / JOHN 9:3
14. BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS BORN, I AM / JOHN 8:58
15. WILL NEVER SEE DEATH / JOHN 8:51
16. HE IS A LIAR AND THE FATHER OF LIES / JOHN 8:44
17. IF GOD WERE YOUR FATHER / JOHN 8:42
18. YOU WILL BE FREE INDEED / JOHN 8:36
19. EVERYONE WHO SINS / JOHN 8:34
20. THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE / JOHN 8:32
21. IF YOU HOLD TO MY TEACHING / JOHN 8:31
22. I PASS JUDGMENT ON NO ONE / JOHN 8:15
23. I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD / JOHN 8:12
24. NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU / JOHN 8:11
25. IF ANY ONE OF YOU IS WITHOUT SIN / JOHN 8:7
26. JESUS HAD NOT YET BEEN GLORIFIED / JOHN 7:39
27. AS THE SCRIPTURE HAS SAID – STREAMS OF LIVING WATER / JOHN 7:38
28. GAIN HONOR FOR HIMSELF / JOHN 7:18
29. IF ANYONE CHOOSES TO DO GOD’S WILL / JOHN 7:17
30. IT HATES ME / JOHN 7:6-7
31. FEAST OF TABERNACLES / JOHN 7:2-3
32. JESUS HAD KNOWN FROM THE BEGINNING / JOHN 6:64
33. EATS MY FLESH AND DRINKS MY BLOOD / JOHN 6:54
34. THE FATHER … DRAWS HIM / JOHN 6:44
35. MY FATHER’S WILL / JOHN 6:40
36. I WILL NEVER DRIVE AWAY / JOHN 6:37
37. I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE / JOHN 6:35
38. DON’T BE AFRAID / JOHN 6:20
39. JESUS PRAYS ALONE / JOHN 6:15
40. THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND /JOHN 6:7
41. MIRACLES / JOHN 6:1-2
42. DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT HE WROTE / JOHN 5:47
43. ACCEPT PRAISE FROM ONE ANOTHER / JOHN 5:44
44. YOU DILIGENTLY STUDY / JOHN 5:39-40
45. YOU HAVE SENT JOHN / John 5:33
46. THOSE WHO HAVE DONE GOOD – RISE TO LIVE – THOSE WHO HAVE DONE EVIL / JOHN 5:29
47. HAS GRANTED THE SON TO HAVE LIFE IN HIMSELF / JOHN 5:26
48. HEARS … BELIEVES / JOHN 5:24
49. MAKING HIMSELF EQUAL WITH GOD / JOHN 5:18-24
50. PERSECUTED HIM / JOHN 5:16
51. STOP SINNING / JOHN 5:14
52. THE MAN WAS CURED / JOHN 5:9-10
53. THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS / JOHN 5:5
54. SIGNS AND WONDERS / JOHN 4:48
55. CROP FOR ETERNAL LIFE / JOHN 4:36
56. LOOK AT THE FIELDS / JOHN 4:35
57. SURPRISED TO FIND HIM TALKING WITH A WOMAN / JOHN 4:27
58. TRUTH / JOHN 4:24
59. WORSHIP … IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH / JOHN 4:23-24
60. SAMARITANS WORSHIP WHAT YOU DO NOT KNOW / JOHN 4:22
61. WATER … ETERNAL LIFE / JOHN 4:14
62. SAMARITAN WOMAN / JOHN 4:7
63. WHOEVER REJECTS / JOHN 3:36
64. GIVES THE SPIRIT WITHOUT LIMIT / JOHN 3:34
65. LOVED DARKNESS INSTEAD OF LIGHT / JOHN 3:19
66. GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD /JOHN 3:16
67. JUST AS MOSES LIFTED UP THE SNAKE / JOHN 3:14-15
68. THE WIND … THE SPIRIT / JOHN 3:8
69. BORN OF WATER / JOHN 3:5
70. BORN AGAIN / JOHN 3:3
71. TEMPLE / JOHN 2:19
72. DROVE ALL FROM THE TEMPLE AREA / JOHN 2:15
73. SIGNS / JOHN 2:11
74. CHOICE WINE – HAD TOO MUCH TO DRINK / JOHN 2:10
75. WINE – THEY HAVE NO MORE WINE / JOHN 2:3
76. YOU SHALL SEE HEAVEN OPEN / JOHN 1:51
77. CEPHAS … PETER / JOHN 1:42
78. THE FIRST THING ANDREW DID / JOHN 1:41
79. THE TENTH HOUR /JOHN 1:39
80. WILL BAPTIZE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT / JOHN 1:33
81. LAMB OF GOD / JOHN 1:29
82. PHARISEES / JOHN 1:24
83. GRACE AND TRUTH / JOHN 1:17
84. THE WORD BECAME FLESH / JOHN 1:14
85. BORN NOT OF … HUMAN DECISION / JOHN 1:13
86. RECEIVED … BELIEVED / JOHN 1:12
87. THE WORLD DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM / JOHN 1:10
88. GIVES LIGHT TO EVERY MAN / JOHN 1:9
89. HIS NAME WAS JOHN / JOHN 1:6
90. LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS / JOHN 1:5
91. LIFE WAS THE LIGHT OF MEN / JOHN 1:4
92. WITH GOD IN THE BEGINNING / JOHN 1:2
93. THE WORD / JOHN 1:1
94. CREWS N AWAY: ANCHORED IN GRACE

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Blessings, Margarita & Stace