My brother, Lazarus

Now a certain man wasn't sick. Not really. He had some shortness of breath. Maybe he tired sooner than normal. I guess it was enough to cause some concern, so Dan decided to visit a doctor and get a check up. Soon they were looking at his heart. Next thing we knew he was scheduled for surgery to repair a small hole. The thought of being cut open never really appealed to me. I suppose some consider it routine -- I'm hoping that the doctor that is operating finds it at least a little routine. But my brother was so calm. He said, "Shari, they just use words like 'open-heart surgery' to make me feel better about the bill." I think I liked the word "open-heart" even less than "surgery". It would take at least three weeks to recover. And that wasn't a full recovery, just to the point that he could do sitting jobs again. It would be months before he would be back to his previous activity level. My mom and I were to travel to West Virgina to care for his six children so his wife could be with him in the hospital during the surgery and his stay there.
The morning of the surgery arrived, as time always does have a way of continuing. The doctors began the prep work for the operation at about 7:30a.m. A few hours later, Liisa, Dan's wife, called to tell us that they had ran into problems and would have to break his sternum to continue the operation. Ouch! Of course he couldn't feel that. Waiting is so hard. Not that the time didn't go by quickly with six children plus three of my own to care for!
Then things turned worse. The original hole was patched, but the heart wasn't responding properly. It wouldn't stop bleeding. They kept pumping blood and fluids through his body, but he was losing blood at almost the same rate as he was receiving new blood. Also the blood was continuing to thin. The fluids were causing immense swelling and putting pressure on his internal organs and constricting his muscles to the point of damage.
Some friends of Liisa's came to watch the children and my mom and I headed for the hospital. My brother was swollen almost beyond recognition. He had tubes coming out of his nose, throat, chest, arms. He lay there motionless except for his chest heaving up and down. His life blood flowing through a machine, it was hard to believe that just yesterday he was cutting firewood, talking to us like he had for the past 31 years. Would he rise from this state of unconsciousness? Would he kiss his wife or hold his children in his arms again?
Enter Lazarus.
Lazarus was Jesus' friend. He had two sisters, Mary and Martha, and Jesus loved them all. Lazarus became ill. What do his sisters do? They send for Jesus, of course, the Son of God that created life, that sustains life, that restores life. Did Jesus rush to them? Did He lay His hand on the sick man's forehead and restore him completely? No. He waited where He was two more days.
I stood beside my brother's hospital bed. I cried. I prayed. I paced the halls. I didn't sleep. I hardly ate. I cried some more. I prayed some more. For almost a week I called for Jesus the creator, sustainer, restorer of life to come and save my brother's life.
Jesus came to Mary and Martha's house, but Lazarus had been in the grave for four days. Martha rushes to him, weeping, I think, broken, "Jesus, if You had been here my brother would not have died." Her heart was crushed. She didn't understand. Everything was swirling. Becoming blurry. Where was God's Son when she needed him?
My brother died Wednesday morning, and my fickle heart cried to God, "Where were You? God, do You care? If you had been here my brother would not have died."
But what does He say to Martha? What does He say to me?
"I am the resurrection and the life! He who believes in me, though he may die -- he will live! Your brother will rise again!"
Now Jesus wept for his friend Lazarus. He wept for Mary and Martha. He wept because He loved. He is love. That day He raised Lazarus from the dead. It is recorded and I believe it. I need to wait a lot longer before I see my brother restored again, but Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. To those that believe in Him, He will give eternal life in Heaven with Him. What hope! What victory!