How Healthy is blame?

"Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died"

Is Martha's tone one of accusation? Or is it one of faith? 

Jesus' friend Lazarus lay dying, and his sisters, Martha and Mary, sent word to Jesus; but Jesus did not come immediately to his friend's bedside. . The text for All Saints' Day tells us that Jesus remained where he was for two more days. By the time he arrived, Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Neither Martha nor Mary could have anticipated what Jesus was about to to (to bring Lazarus out from the grave), but were they being accusatory -- or were they expressing deep faith in Jesus' ability as a healer? 
The question for us becomes:  How do we call out for God in times of deep distress? Do we accuse God of being absent or too late? When we cry out, "Oh God," is i from a place of deep faith that acknowledges our utter reliance on God or is it from a place of skepticism? 

Our scriptures tell us time and again that God is there with us; able to do all thins if only we had enough faith, and yet, is that not the stumbling place for most of us? Have we enough faith to utterly rely on God when torment swirls around us or when we are bone weary from grief, or when the Tempter lures us into the excesses that the world offers?  

However we respond to God, let it be our prayer that our faith must never be allowed to stagnate, but that it become a stronger and stronger part of who we are each time trials assault us. 

God is with us -- always. Do we notice? 

Scripture suggestion: John 11: 17-22

Pray!

In whatever language or style you choose. God understands.

What DO you want?

“What do you want me to do for you?”               Mark 10: 51

Jesus asks this question of Bartimaeus, a blind beggar in Jericho. This sentence is striking because it notes a radical shift in the perception people had of God. The early Greeks, Egyptians, and other cultures of the time all paid strict obeisance to the gods they worshiped; they made sacrifices, they put up totems, built altars, and strived to please their gods lest they incur the wrath of the gods.

What a radical departure from the norm Jesus offers! Our God, the Incarnate One, who, instead of being a threatening abstraction, is right in front of our faces asking us, “What do you want me to do for you?” This is the God we worship. The Divine Presence who yearns for relationship with us, who loves us, who sacrificed His only begotten Son so that we might have eternal life.

 God wants into your life! 

As you consider how passionate God is for you and for me and for all of creation, try to identify some times where God has begged you for your attention. Some instances where God was trying to tell you something, yearning for you to notice. Did you notice? How did you respond?

 Now, close your eyes, and imagine that God is right in front of you, and God whispers into your ear,
“What do you want me to do for you?”

 How will you answer?

The Scripture:                                                                                                        Mark 10:46-52

Jesus and his disciples came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you." So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again." Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.