Lazarus

If Lazarus could have seen the effects of his death, he likely would have embraced it all over again. He endured the agony, the loneliness, the weight of feeling abandoned—even by Jesus, his dearest friend. He died. And yet, it was Lazarus whom Jesus wept for, Lazarus for whom His heart broke, even as the miracle hovered on the horizon. The tears of Jesus—those holy, unspeakably tender tears—have been the balm for countless souls since that moment. In Lazarus' darkest hour, his pain became the doorway to healing for many. His suffering, though bitter, was transformed into a gift that would heal generations.

When Lazarus stumbled from the grave, still wrapped in death’s binding cloth, he saw them—the tear stains on the face of the One he thought had turned away from him. In that instant, he understood: his suffering had been woven into a divine tapestry, one beyond his wildest dreams. Those tears on the face of Jesus—they weren’t just for his pain; they were a testament to love so profound it was greater than the grave itself.

And when you emerge from your own darkness, when you step into the light after the long night, you, too, will see Him. His face, streaked with tears, will smile upon you. You’ll realize He never left, never abandoned you. He wept alongside you, His heart breaking as yours did. And through your pain, through the very thing that brought you to your knees, others will find healing, drawn by the beating heart of Jesus—a heart that holds each of us in love deeper than we could ever fathom.