God has given human beings free will, but one of the most difficult aspects of having this freedom of choice is demonstrating enough trust in God to say, “Your will be done.” We must have confidence that God has our best interests at heart, and sometimes we have to accept God’s answer is “no” or “wait.”

Jesus had a special relationship with Lazarus, but when He was asked to come and heal him He delayed for two days. In fact, He deliberately waited until Lazarus died before going to Bethany. When He finally arrived Martha told Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). The whole situation was very distressing for everyone involved, including Jesus, and we are told He also wept (John 11:35).

But God’s purpose was much bigger than the immediate distress. Lazarus’ death had been allowed by God as part of a greater plan to reveal His Son. And therein lies the lesson for us. We must trust in God’s bigger plan even though we can’t immediately comprehend everything.

God isn’t the cause of suffering, but He is the only solution. As beings with free will, we have the opportunity to explore every possible solution to the human condition, and we often come up woefully short.

When we suffer, the outcome isn’t usually as dramatic or immediate as it was for Lazarus, but remember that during the dark days of Lazarus’ illness and death no one knew what the outcome would be. All they had during those times of despair was a faith that God had not abandoned them and that Lazarus would someday be resurrected from the dead.

Faith is more than belief in God. It is the trust He is always acting for the ultimate, eternal good for every human being. It is the basis for hope in the future.