Even Now

 Today Pastor Davis preached from John 11:18-22 on "Even Now". I suggest you listen/view it for yourself.  You can find the link here. Pastor first gave a brief overview on what had been taking place up to this part of the scripture.  Lazarus was dying. Mary and Martha had sent word for Jesus to come and heal him. Instead of coming as they requested, Jesus purposely delayed his visit. Sometimes, God will delay his answer because He has something better in store for you. He has a plan. We learn a lot from how Jesus, Mary and Martha responded to this situation.  When God delays an answer sometimes, we can become confused, but if we hold on just a little longer will eventually see what God has in store for us. We have our own plans, but God has something better planned for us.  When Jesus did arrive, Mary at first was so distraught that she would not come outside. She was upset that God did not answer as she had hoped and now her brother was dead. The God who can raised the dead back to life was standing outside her door and she could not see it. How many times are we upset with God because He did not answer as we wanted Him to?  No matter how strong in God our walk is, we all have times when we can get discouraged. We all fall down. It's up to us to get back up again and keep trusting in God. He does have a plan for our lives. We need to trust Him. Meanwhile, Martha is out and about, her brother died and now Jesus is here. She went to work. She had faith that even now God could raise her brother from the dead. Martha might not have been sitting at the feet of Jesus, but she was not mourning either. She had faith that God could bring her brother back to life if he so chose to do it.  We need to have that kind of faith. The Even Now Faith. Faith that even when we don't understand, we still trust in Him. We cannot let out past determine our future. We must remember that God has always been a God of impossibility. When you are facing the impossible you are looking at your miracle. It is so important that we realize who we really are. We are extraordinary, not ordinary. Where you go, you carry the Kingdom of God within you. When you walk into a situation, God walks in with you. God often will lead us into impossible situations. Do not let fear or distress take over you. Fear not for God is with you. When God says wait, we need to wait with expectation for what God is going to do in our lives. We may not like the suffering, but there is a purpose in it all. Believe for your miracle, even now! When you know God has given you a promise it changes everything. You are able to praise Him Even Now in advance because you know that God is with you, and He is in control.  When you begin to struggle, ask God to help your unbelief. Faith is not an emotion; it's confidence God will do what He said He will do. Fear not and have Even Now Faith that what God has promised, He will bring to pass. God is good.