John 11:4-6, “When He heard this, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days.”
What pushes you to act? What prompts you to react? What moves you to move? Actions taken hastily, due to the pressure of people or the emotions of the moment, tend to end in regret. For example, in the heat of the moment, as emotions are heightened, hurtful words are spoken out of anger and provocation. Later, we regret, but the damage has been done – words have become wounds; haste has turned to waste. Your response is your responsibility.
Here are five benefits of pausing before reacting:
1. Pausing will help you to avoid panicking.
2. Pausing will help to provide the opportunity for proper reflection.
3. Pausing will help prevent you from responding or retaliating in the flesh.
4. Pausing will help you to recognise the signals God always sends His people.
5. Pausing will help to preserve you from the consequences of impatience.
What was Jesus’ reaction when He heard that His dear friend Lazarus was sick in John 11? He paused to seek God’s opinion. Jesus Christ refused to be rushed by the emergencies of others. Emotional attachments were not His compass; people’s pressures were not His roadmap. He was not moved by His emotional connection to Lazarus or by the emotional plea of Mary and Martha. He was moved when God said, ‘Go’. This ended, not in just the recovery from sickness, but in the resurrection from death.
Finally, it is God’s opinion that settles the matter because it is God’s opinion that really matters. Don’t let the storm around you become a storm inside you.
Prayer: Oh Holy Spirit, help us to receive calmness to think clearly and react diligently in Jesus’ name. Help us to hold fast to the truth of Your Word and remain steadfast in the light of Your Word. In Jesus’ name, amen.