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The Questions We Ask in the Dark: Monday, 03/23/2026

Scripture Reading: John 11:1-16

Most of us have had a middle-of-the-night moment — lying awake at 2 a.m., staring at the ceiling, asking questions we'd never say out loud in the daytime. "Why is this happening?" "Is anyone actually in charge here?" "Does any of this matter?" There's something about the dark, about stillness and exhaustion, that strips away the polished answers we give in public and leaves us face to face with the raw, real questions underneath. The Bible is full of people asking those same questions — and not always getting a tidy answer.

In the story of Lazarus, we meet a family in crisis. Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus are close friends of Jesus. When Lazarus gets dangerously ill, his sisters send word to Jesus immediately — and then wait. And wait. Jesus doesn't rush. He stays where he is for two more days. From the outside, it looks like absence, like indifference. When Jesus finally says it's time to go, his disciples point out that going back to Judea means walking into a dangerous situation. People there have already tried to harm Jesus. "Why would you go back?" they ask. It's a very human question.

What's striking here is that Jesus doesn't explain himself fully. He doesn't give Martha and Mary a satisfying reason for the delay. He simply says that what's coming will reveal the glory of God — that something larger is at work than any of them can currently see. That can feel frustrating when you're the one waiting, wondering, hurting. But it's also an honest picture of what faith actually looks like: not certainty, but continuing to trust that the story isn't over yet.

There are moments in life in Monroe — or anywhere — when it feels like help is late, or like no one's paying attention to what you're going through. A medical diagnosis that changes everything. A child who is struggling and you don't know how to reach them. A friendship or marriage that's silently fracturing. In those moments, the quiet message of this story is: your pain is known, and the story is not over. Keep going.

Reflection Question: Think of a time when you felt like help wasn't coming, or like God was absent during a hard season. Looking back, do you see it any differently now?

Action Step: Write down one honest, unfiltered question you have for God right now — something you'd normally keep to yourself. You don't have to share it with anyone. Just let yourself be real about it.

Prayer: God who knows our waiting, some days the silence feels too heavy. Help us trust that you are present even when we can't feel it, and that the stories we're living are not finished yet. Give us patience for the parts we don't understand. Amen.