Then Jesus made it plain to them, “Lazarus is dead. And for your sake, I’m glad I wasn’t there, because now you have another opportunity to see who I am so that you will learn to trust in me. Come, let’s go and see him.” John 11:14-15 (PBT)
Jesus knew Lazarus was sick. In fact, Mary and Martha had sent him a message to come quickly. But Jesus hesitated. His disciples were confused by both the hesitation and then by the sudden change of plans. But in Jesus’ mind, there was no change of plans.
Jesus always made decisions in the context of the bigger picture. He knew that He would raise Lazarus from the dead. He also knew that the resurrection of His friend would split popular opinion of who He was. Some would cheer the resurrection of Lazarus, yet the religious leaders would be outraged. They had continually grown jealous of Jesus’ power and popularity. They were losing control of the crowd. Their status was suffering.
But Jesus’ knew that the polarity of the two crowds would propel Him to the Cross. His sacrificial body would provide our redemption and that was the plan. Lazarus’ resurrection was the game changer needed in the bigger picture of God’s plan. Jesus’ decision and timing were in sync with His Father’s. Lazarus had to die so Jesus could raise him up. Jesus had to die to pay the price for our redemption. He also had to rise from the dead to destroy the power of death and give us eternal life.
In unfamiliar times we need to make decisions in the context of the bigger picture. Our humanity tends to rush decisions, especially in a crisis. Think back over knee jerk decisions you’ve make in the past that were premature.
Jesus made decisions tuned in to the Kingdom narrative of His heavenly Father. He spent countless nights in fellowship and prayer with His Father. From those times, Jesus made decisions. As He walked through the crowds, He healed those He saw the Father healing. He also taught as He discerned what His Father wanted taught. Everything in His decision making was orchestrated by His Father’s will. He discerned what was vital by spending time with His Father.
And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight [that your love may display itself in greater depth of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment]. So that you may surely learn to sense what is vital…
Philippians 1:9-10a (Amplified Version)
Decision making requires that we sense what is vital from what is random. Random distracts from what is vital. What if we make decisions in the context of the bigger picture? Decluttering our lives will narrow our focus down to what is of vital importance. Then in the bigger picture we can be decisive. The key is spending quality time in fellowship with Jesus, His Word and His Spirit. God’s Kingdom dialogue will fine tune our focus and empower us to make vital decisions.
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