“Where Is God in My Pain?”

Is God Really Angry, Judgmental, and Uncaring?
“Where Is God in My Pain?”

I. Introduction

A. Psalm 13:1 (NAS) How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?

B. John 11:1-3 (NAS) ¹Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ²It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. ³So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”

C. John 11:5 (NAS) Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

D. John 11:6 (NAS) So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.

E. John 11:14-15 (NAS) ¹⁴So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.”

1. Jesus does this for a .

F. John 11:21 (NAS) Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

1. Sometimes the only faith we can muster is just to be with God wherever we’re at!

G. John 11:23-24 (NAS) ²³Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁴Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

H. John 11:25-26 (NAS) ²⁵Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, ²⁶and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

I. “ ” – – “I am the resurrection and the life.”

1. He says, “Martha, you haven’t really known who I am. is who I really am!”

2. “I came to give you —the kind of hope that will transcend every circumstance that you’ll ever face.”

J. John 11:26c (NAS) “Do you believe this?”

1. Part of how we answer that question—“Does God care?”—is based on how we answer the question—“Who do you think really is?”

K. John 11:14-15 (NAS) ¹⁴So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.”

1. Whatever you’re facing in your life right now— is more than you think He is!

L. John 11:28 (NAS) Martha went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”

1. No matter how deep our pain goes—God’s can always go deeper.

M. John 11:32 (NAS) When Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

N. John 11:33 (NAS) When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled.

O. John 11:34 (NAS) And said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”

P. John 11:35 (NAS) Jesus wept.

1. Jesus was so grieved because He so much!

Q. John 11:36 (NAS) So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!”

1. Jesus didn’t weep because He lacked power. He wept because He was so full of !

R. John 11:39 (NAS) “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

S. John 11:43 (NAS) When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”

1. Just when you think God is too —He ends up being right on time!

T. I Corinthians 13:12 (NAS) For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

1. One day, it’s going to be !

2. If you Him—if you just hang on—someday, you’re going to see!

II. Conclusion