This is a question that I find myself asking with increasing frequency. I get overwhelmed with emotions, and have the audacity to ask “why”. At no time does God “owe” us an answer (see the final chapters of the book of Job), but there are times where He will use another as a means of grace to calm and quiet our souls. The following is an excerpt from an Elisabeth Elliot book, The Music of His Promises, which has given me new perspective:
Lazarus was sick. His sisters sent word to Jesus, sure that He would come immediately to heal him. But Jesus did not budge. So it happens sometimes with us. We are in urgent need of God’s help. We ask for it. It does not come. We easily conclude that God is not listening, or that He does not care about our concerns, or that all the promises of His love have broken down.
 Read the story in John 11: “Though he loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after hearing of his illness Jesus waited for two days” (v.6). Loving and waiting. The two things do not seem to us to go together, not in the middle of our particular situation. But the story lights up a facet we would miss: the glory of God is wrought through suffering and death which are strictly temporary. God is engineering things we can hardly dream of. Lazarus’ story opens our eyes. He was indeed very ill. Mary and Martha were desperate. He died. Then Jesus came. Lazarus’ resurrection, revealing the authority of God over the worst powers at work in our world, shows us His glory.
