Then said Jesus unto them plainly,
Lazarus is dead. (Joh 11:14 KJV)
‘Tell me, can your God change this situation? I ask because I do
not think so; I think this situation is beyond repair. I know this marriage is
over.’ ‘I don’t think I can ever be healed.’ ‘I have done all I can but the
business just keeps recording losses. I just don’t think I can take this
anymore.’ When you are in situation like this all you are saying is that ‘Lazarus
is dead!’ figuratively speaking. Follow me from here and let’s discover
together the bible’s answer to your questions.
There is this account in scripture that I like so much because when I think about it I ‘see’ God! Don’t worry you will get my point very soon. It is the account of a very terrible time in Israel: well, we can argue that Israel had quite a number of these terrible times and you won’t be wrong! For me however this particular account stands out. In the book of second Kings Chapter six verse twenty four to thirty three [2 kings 6:24-33] Benhadad the king of Syria lay siege on Samaria which was at that time also refers to the kingdom of Israel. Now because of the siege there was a great famine in Israel. So great was the famine that people had not only started eating dove shit they had also started eating their children. Yes! It was that bad. It is what you would call an impossible situation. It was so bad that the king of Israel decided to kill Elisha the prophet because he must have thought that Elisha had no usefulness if he could not beseech God on their behalf to stop the dire situation.
The next chapter opened with the prophecy of Elisha concerning the
matter:
Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of
the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley
for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.(2Ki 7:1 KJV)
All of a sudden as it were, Elisha came forth and gave a prophecy
that the situation will be completely reversed in about twenty four hours!
Immediately one of the lords in Israel ‘revolted’ and said that even if the
windows of heaven were opened it won’t still be possible. In the Nigerian
pidgin English parlance I can imagine him saying something like ‘na yam’! I am sure
he was not the only one who thought that way he was just unfortunate to have
spoken first as we see that Elisha straight away told him that he will see it
come to pass but not partake of it. My focus in this discourse however is not
the ‘unbelieving lord’ but the 24 hour miraculous turnaround of an impossible
situation.
Please read this text:
And there were four leprous men at the
entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we
die? If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we
sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host
of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we
shall but die. And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the
Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria,
behold, there was no man there. For the
Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise
of horses, even the noise of a great
host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against
us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.
Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their
horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was,
and fled for their life.
And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it. Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household. So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were. And he called the porters; and they told it to the king's house within. And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.
And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see. They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see. And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king. And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD. (2Ki 7:3-16 KJV)
And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it. Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household. So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were. And he called the porters; and they told it to the king's house within. And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.
And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see. They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see. And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king. And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD. (2Ki 7:3-16 KJV)
Amazing! Isn’t it? Now who could have imagined HOW God was
going to solve that situation. All I am saying to you in this write up is that
God can change that supposedly impossible situation you are in. Yes the
situation might look hopeless, dead and buried by human standards but what is
impossible to man is possible for God. God has never seen a situation he cannot
solve; He has never seen a sinner he cannot save and He has not seen a sickness
he cannot heal!
Imagine for a moment the story of Lazarus the brother of
Mary and Martha as written in the book of John. Lazarus was dead by the time Jesus
got to their town. Lazarus was not sick and admitted to a clinic; no Lazarus
was dead; four days dead; very dead indeed!
I don’t know what might represent a Lazarus situation in
your life or family but I say to you today that that situation can and will
change if you call on God to do what only he can do about it. Don’t bother
yourself about how he will do it, just ask and believe. God is able to turn
around that situation so much so that it will feel like you are dreaming. He is
able to make the valley of dry bones become a field of a great host of mighty
army. Hallelujah!
Prayer:
Lord you are the God of all flesh and the father of spirits.
You are the sovereign One and the maker of all things. Lord I ask that you
breathe life into this situation [tell him exactly what it is]. I ask therefore
in the name of Jesus that you cause the resurrection power to be at work in this
situation [name it]. I speak life into this situation [name it] and declare
that it aligns in obedience to God. I declare that men would see what you have
done and believe on the name of your Son Jesus. Thank you Lord for the
testimony of this miracle. Amen
