Help On Hold

(St. John 11 KJV)

Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2. (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

3. Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. 4. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. 5. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister, and Lazarus. 6. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. (…) 11. These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may wake him out of sleep. 12. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. 13. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. 14. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. (…) 17. Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. (…) 32. Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 33. When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, 34. And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. 35. Jesus wept.

(…) 39. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. 40. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldst believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? 41. Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. 43. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. 45. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.

I love this text for many reasons. Every time I hear it I can only fathom about the intimate friendship Jesus shared with Mary, Martha and Lazarus. These three siblings had not just heard of Jesus, they were the ones whom he trusted to minister unto him in the privacy of their home and shared the richest quality time and comfort when he came up to the feasts. He would minister unto them and they would minister unto him. What a wonderful fellowship! This is the same Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair. Jesus had no doubt that this woman was devoted to him. These were Jesus’ best friends and you know how affectionate and protective we are of those we esteem as not only friends but also family.

Now, there is an emergency in this family and Mary and Martha are holding it together because they know all they have to do is get word to Jesus that Lazarus whom he loved was sick. They knew Jesus would make haste to get there to the same house where these three siblings and He enjoyed real Koinonia (authentic fellowship) and expressed their love for one another. Mary and Martha did not send a lot of detail with their message, they just told the messenger to tell Jesus that the friend he loved like a brother was sick. But Jesus did not come. He only sent a message back to them. (1.) This sickness is not unto death and (2.) God is going get the glory out of your situation.

I know Mary and Martha could not understand Jesus deferring his visitation. Their hearts were left insulted by the mere fact that Jesus whom they loved and had served many times seemed unmoved about their 9-1-1 requests. Just like there are times when we find ourselves in desperate situations and cannot understand why the prayer is not answered and why the mountain is not moved right after we say “In Jesus’ Name.” We cannot understand why the help is on hold when we have a history with God. I’m talking about true covenant relationship with Him. Jesus could have spoken a word from a distance that would have raised Lazarus from his sick bed…but did not. He waited until Lazarus was dead and even his disciples were frustrated. The disciples were heavy hearted over the news of Lazarus’ death. Lazarus was a dear and loving friend to both Jesus and his disciples. The disciples could not make sense of any of it and you know Mary and Martha couldn’t. They are grieving, disappointed and frustrated. Frustrated because they knew Jesus could have changed the course of this entire series of events and could have sheilded them from the hurt and the pain, the emptiness, the tears and from having to make funeral arrangements in the first place.

Now, Mary and Martha had plenty of people to comfort them but none of those people could take the place of their friend Jesus. It’s like someone rubbing you on your back and telling you, “Honey it’s going to be alright” and while they are rubbing, you are numb to it all because you know that the only one equipped to help you is God Almighty. You know that if He does not manifest Himself soon then your head is going to crack and everyone is going to label you schizophrenic or Bi-polar in just a matter of minutes.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she could not wait until He arrived at the house. She had to go and meet him. She had been asking and looking out the window during the day and standing out on the front porch at night looking into the darkness and seeing nothing but expecting everything. She runs to meet him so she can voice her frustration. She does not know who to blame, Jesus or herself. Sound familiar?

Despite Mary’s grief and disappointment and confusion she cannot negate her passionate love for Christ and as soon as she hears that Jesus is near she makes it clear to everyone that she wants some alone time with Jesus and when she saw him she fell at his feet. Now this posture is nothing new to Mary for Mary often sat at his feet and this is the same Mary that wiped his feet with her hair. She knows nothing else to do but to fall into her position of worship. After she asked him why he had not come sooner she could do nothing else but cry. Mary cried and Jesus cried also. They were two friends crying together. One of them was at wits end and the other was the answer.

We know from the scripture that Jesus did raise Lazarus from the dead and loosed him as well. Everyone who thought they knew Jesus that day received a new revelation of who He is. The Jews believed that by the fourth day after death the body is so altered and decomposed that there was no possible way that the fragments of corpse left could ever live again. Jesus revealed another level of his power to his close friends and to the Jews and God received the Glory!

God wants the glory out of your seemingly dead situation. I know you do not have all the faith you need right now but just be like Martha and say,” Lord I believe.”

For those of you who are waiting for the help and the resources you need to bring your God-given vision to pass, come out of the battle amidst the ring of frustration for just a moment and sit in my corner. Allow me to give you what I call a straight “Mama talk.” This will be the refreshing water you need and strength for your journey.

Some reasons why people will not help you:

1. You are seeking help from a pimp. There are givers and takers in life and there is no in between. If you find yourself serving a person(s) and only able to serve him or her and never able to touch him/her as a person and they always deny your request to heard or to be ministered to, RUN LIKE JOSEPH! Pimps and control freaks can never be satisfied. They do not want you to ever be delivered because that would mean that they can no longer use you to expand their kingdom.

2. God has closed the door because there are some things, some sins that you cannot see on the surface right now and He cannot have you entangled in sin because that will separate you from HIM. He loves you that much!

3. The good is always the enemy of the best. I heard someone say that we often are trying to do the good thing rather than the God thing. When a door is closed, don’t fret. If God doesn’t knock the entire wall down on your behalf it means He has something much better, the best for you.

4. God is trying to get your attention.

5. The person you are seeking help from can’t stand you! They like to have your anointing around because it keeps the demons away but they hate you as much as Saul hated David because he saw what he used to be before he started listening to people instead of God. Your light pierces the darkness inside of the person who will not sell out completely to God. Piercing hurts! Just ask Jesus.

6. God is revealing more of Himself to you.

7. The person you are seeking help from has decided to help God out by telling you, “NO” because they are so sick and tried of God telling you “YES.” They can’t understand the favor of God upon your life because with all of the games they play they can never seem to match what God gives you even though they kill, steal and destroy to get theirs. They have things but they are not fulfilled.

8. God is teaching you to exercise your faith for every level.

9. The person you are seeking help from is so overwhelmed that if they take on one more thing they will break. They may look great on the outside but inside they are malnourished and weak. Don’t take it personal when they spend so much time with other people and won’t even put you on the waiting list. Those other folks are the takers, the junk food, destroying them. They are ones that keep the leader’s head so puffed up until they have forgotten that iron sharpens iron. They are dull and insensitive and have forgotten the Lord their maker.

10. The people you pour into may not be the ones ordained to pour into you. People’s needs and security are just as diverse as DNA. Your harvest may be in another field. Take the limits of God (in your thinking). God is Sovereign! He can do whatever He wants to do and He does not need anyone’s permission to bless you. If he has to send you on a trip to Africa to connect you to the help you need, he will do it. Ask me how I know!

11. You have changed! People liked you more when you were a victim. As a victim, they could stand a better chance of manipulating you and treating you anyway they wanted to treat you and you would take it. You did not have too many standards for company back then because you were so desperate for association and attention. You had a need to belong just as much as a youth initiated into a gang. They liked you better when you would not speak up for yourself and you did not have an opinion, Now, the same folk, young and old, cannot tolerate you too much now because you refuse to entertain the pity parties you used to have together and your talk is too positive and energetic. The things that used to hurt your feelings can’t hurt you anymore. The people who used to tear you down can’t make your cry anymore. You have found and opened the window of the dark room in your life and let the SON in and allowed Him to cast His light (His word) into every area of your life. Everything may not be quite like you want it but you are learning to make the Lord your confidence and you are learning to use the rough times in your life as stepping stones. Even though you are still in the process of your journey, many of the people who are watching you, some you know and some you do not know can tell you are headed for GREATNESS! AND I CAN HEAR THE LORD SAYING, “I WILL DECLARE YOUR NAME GREAT FOR YE SHALL DECLARE ME AS THE GREATEST!” OH! , GREAT GOD!!!!!

Some things to do while you wait:

1. Worship

2. Keep a journal. You can be whoever you want to be in a journal. This is an excellent opportunity to voice your frustrations and anger and list your deepest desires and recant your greatest joys.

3. Write the vision and make it plain. If you have written it already, revisit it to mark what has manifested and what you are expecting. Vision has no limitations! You can make it as wide or as narrow as you like.

4. Clean and organize your house or dwelling place.

5. Pray! Your intimate time talking to the father is everything! No prayer, no power, little prayer, little power, Much prayer, Much Power!

6. Thank God for something you have never thanked him for before.

7. Thank God for the rejection you received. The blessing of rejection is direction.

8. Recall your history with God. Think about what where you have come from and what He has brought you through. God is faithful that promised.

9. Examine yourself, repent of your sins and pray for your enemies until you mean it.

10. Spend some time looking into the eyes of a child.

11. Finish writing that book, song, poem, sermon, proposal or letter you started. If you haven’t started, GET STARTED!

12. Give the Lord a praise! The devil wants to rob you of your joy which is your strength so you will give up and be in the same place you are right now, 20 years from now. I dare you to sing your favorite song to the top of your lungs and spin around in the floor until you feel the wind of the almighty beneath your wings. Dance like David Danced. Talk to yourself like Job. Get a partner and sing and pray like Paul and Silas. No partner? Commission the angels to join you.

13. Go on the mission field. Great leaders are great servers!

14. Give some quality time to someone who needs you.

15. Read and rehearse the scriptures.

16. Get into the routine of exercising, drinking water and getting plenty of rest. Your body needs to be fit for the journey.

17. Spend your down time only with people who really care about you and value you as a person. Rid yourself of the takers and the joy robbers. Don’t worry about them talking about you. They already talk about you! Evangelist Joyce Rodgers writes, “In shedding things and shedding people, whether voluntary or involuntary, we become more dependent on Him.” Charisma, May 2004

18. Plan your wardrobe for your vision. Dress for where you are going.

19. Have frequent moments of DEAR (Drop Everything And READ). Mark Twain said what is worst than not being able to read is a man that has books and won’t read them.

20. Take a vacation.

21. Connect and Collaborate with people who are going places and doing great things. Don’t kiss up or down. Great minds, great visionaries and a like spirits can find each other in a crowd of millions.

Don’t loose your mind or throw away your vision over someone who wouldn’t help you. You will need both your mind and your vision for where God is about to take you. Your God ordained help will appear at the appointed time throughout your journey. My grandmother probably had never been taught God is Jehovah Jireh. She just called Him a “Way-Maker.” Inhale and exhale. God is teaching you to depend on Him for your vision and desires as much you depend on Him for the air you breathe. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man (Ps.118: 8) is the center verse of the entire Bible.

Hold on! Help is on the way! Don’t try to figure it out. Intellect will never be able to figure out the autonomy of God. My most powerful prayer is “God help me and Lord I believe.” For with God nothing shall be impossible (Luke 1: 37). Just be like Mary in Luke 1: 38 and say “Be it unto me according to thy word.” God will use you to speak a prophetic word in the Earth on what He is about to do while others are still philandering around trying to figure out the last thing that happened. You can do it! The battle is in your mind; not your pocket or pocket book. Power belongs to God! (Ps. 62) I wanted to write this months ago and couldn’t. I started on it. Penned some of my thoughts and still did not get the release from God to send this. Now I have His permission. I think I had to wait until the person I admired most in ministry disappointed me. All idols have to be destroyed in our lives so we will be free agents in the kingdom of God. People are just people. Only God is God!

The same God who created the universe, who parted the red sea, who resurrected the dead and laid down His life and picked it up again for our sakes, has made every provision for the vision. When you told Him, “Yes,” He dropped everything you would ever need into your spirit like time-release capsules. As you need it, it will be released into your life, not too soon and certainly not too late. Oh, you can go ahead and praise Him! No idols, no foreboding (being afraid that when a good thing happens to you, a bad thing will follow) and the best is yet to come! Your situation is not unto death and God will get the Glory! God is getting ready to lift you. He is about to remove everything and everyone hindering you from fulfilling your purpose in Him. God is getting ready to plant you on a higher plain and everyone will know it is Him, especially those who would not help you. Delayed does not mean denied. What you will learn and gain in this season of waiting is necessary for your next level. Every round goes higher and higher.

(Psalm 121 KJV)

I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

2. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

3. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

4. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.

6.The sun shall not smite thee by day, or the moon by night.

7. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul.

8. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Go with God!

If this message has been a blessing to you, please write to me and let me know at ministryservices@audrasingleton.org.

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