Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will grant you.” Luke 10:21-22
“It’s over. It’s too late.” Have you ever said those words? “If only” usually comes next. But there are no “if onlys” with Jesus.
Martha’s faith is an encouragement to me in this passage. She was sitting in the most excruciating pain possible. She wondered why Jesus hadn’t come sooner to keep this horrible circumstance from happening. She knows He could have. Yet even in her suffering, even in the anguish of grief, she believed in the power and character of Jesus.
Her brother is now dead. Not near death, but already buried for several days. And she has the chutzpah to say, “but even now.” Even now God can do what He wants to do. Even now He loves me. Even now there is no thing too hard for Him.
Something in that also reminds me that God is not confined by time and space. There is never a “too late” for God.
Martha didn’t know what Jesus would do, but she knew He could do anything. She didn’t say that God would do whatever SHE asked, but whatever Jesus requested. It is about fulfilling God’s plan – His desire. And she was secure in the knowledge that He loved them, no matter what that outcome would be. “Even now” it would be ok, somehow.
I’ve experienced irretrievable loss. You probably have too. I need to remember that He can act “even now.” He can take the most tragic situation and do what He wills. However He chooses to intervene, it’s never too late for Him to do what He wills. And whether it’s a in a miraculous display, the simple but comforting power of His Presence, or a whole new direction, He can and will act … even now.
Christ Jesus is the One who died—more than that, Who was raised—Who is at the right hand of God, Who indeed is interceding for us. Romans 8:34
