John 11:38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.39 Jesus said, “Take Away The Stone.”

Jesus has a word for you today and it is “Take Away The Stone.”  Most of you are familiar with the story of Lazarus, so I will not rehash the whole thing (if not, read all of John chapter 11 when you get a chance).

Before Mary, Martha and the people of Bethany could experience Jesus’ miraculous resurrection power, a huge stone had to be removed.  This stone is historically believed to be very heavy and not able to be moved by one or two persons.  Some historians consider it to be like a boulder, so I looked up the definition of boulder “a large rock fragment formed by detachment from its parent consolidated rock by weathering and erosion.”  Basically, a small (in some cases rounded) piece of a large and solid foundation that has broken off due to a natural process.  In this text, this stone was the only thing separating the power of Jesus from Mary & Martha’s dead situation.

What is your stone, what is keeping Jesus’ resurrection power from making those dying areas of your life new, vibrant, joyful and exciting?  Heartbreak, pain, hurt, disappointment, guilt, failure, insecurity and many other experiences in life slowly chip away at the solid foundation of FAITH that we’ve received from God.  Many of us, OK all of us have situations in our lives that have been dead or dying.  Whether it is a broken marriage or relationship; job lost; deteriorating health; miscarriage; dream shattered; wayward child; foreclosure, bankruptcy, or just an overall feeling of depression, we have all experienced the type of pain that takes a toll on us.  Devastating events like this can cause your faith to be fractured, producing stones that just like this text, stand between Jesus and our dead situations.

Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. “I hear what you’re saying, “I know Jesus can do what He did for Martha & Mary for everyone,” but the problem is you no longer believe that He can do it for your situation.  You won’t come out and say it, but your heart is full of doubt.  It is not because you’re some kind of weak Christian; it is because you are human (it’s natural just like the forming of a boulder).

The Lord’s miracles in our lives are activated by our faith.  When we believe that Jesus is who He says He is and that He has what the bible tells us He has, then He will do what He has promised us He will do.  Jesus is calling out today for you to “Take Away The Stone,” no longer allow the hurt and pain in your life to hinder the faith you have in your Savior, the Almighty God, the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.  The Lord desires to breathe His life into your seemingly dead situations.  Jesus has given new life to a dead marriage; birth from a barren womb, a new business from a pink slip and vibrant health from a cancer diagnosis.  Jesus desires to show off His power in your life, believe in Jesus again and what was dead will come back to life.