Walk the Walk // Face to Face, Part 9 [Devo]

August 3rd, 2022

Walk the Walk

Face to Face, Part 9
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Have you ever done a trust fall? You know, the thing where you put your arms out, fall backwards, and trust that the person behind you is going to catch you? Even if the person behind you is the one you trust the most in life, it can be difficult to just fall. Why is that? Why do we have this lack of trust with something so simple? We believe the person will catch us, but we still lack that trust.

This past Sunday, Pastor Tim wrapped up our Face to Face series with the story of Lazarus and how we don’t realize how powerful Christ is to save us in life and in death.

You may be thinking that my focus for this devotional will be on the Lazarus part of the story, but it’s actually on another person — Martha. I have always glossed over her role in this story, because it wasn’t the headline. She wasn’t the star of the show, so to speak. But her role in all of this is pretty relatable to me, and I'm guessing it is to a lot of you, as well.

John 11:25-27 reads:

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die — ever. Do you believe this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,” she told Him, ‘I believe You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world.’”

Martha, in that moment, believed in Jesus and what He was saying. But just like with 'trust falls,’ saying we believe something and acting out that belief are two different things.

John 11-39-40 says:

“‘Remove the stone,’ Jesus said. Martha, the dead man’s sister, told Him, ‘Lord, he’s already decaying. It’s been four days. ’Jesus said to her, ‘Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’”

Just a few minutes before, she said she believed, but now, she’s questioning Jesus? First off, bold move, right? Her response to Him showed a little crack in her trust.

Saying we believe something and acting out that belief are two different things.

I find it interesting that in the very presence of Jesus, even Martha had trouble with complete trust. It’s the same for me — it’s really easy to say I trust God with different things in my life, but it can be much harder to live out that trust. In the end, of course, Martha trusted Jesus, removed the stone, and the rest is history.

My dad lives his life with that kind of trust, and I admire him greatly for it. He recently made a huge life decision that required complete trust in God. It can be scary to make a big change in your life, not knowing if it’s the right decision. Not knowing how it could affect you and the others in your life. My dad put all of those variables aside and trusted God.

James 1:22 says:

“But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

I encourage all of us to be more like Martha and my dad. Let's not just talk the talk, but walk the walk. It could be with tithing and trusting Him with our finances, or reaching out to someone you have a strained relationship with and believing that God will mend it. Whatever it is, let’s actively trust God and know that He is able to save us in life and in death.

If you find yourself stumbling around in the dark, don’t give up. You may feel like the darkness is closing in and your eyes may be straining to see even the tiniest flicker of light, but I encourage you to call out to Jesus. You will find Him there, waiting to lead you out of the darkness.