Emerge: God calls us out from dark clouds into glorious lives.

 

"When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out." The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." John 11:43-44 ESV

 

When I hear the word 'emerge,' it stirs up powerful emotions of courage and faith deep within me. This word, emerge, paints a picture of a person or a thing coming out of a covering, solid and potent. Throughout the Bible, we read stories of God's mighty deliverance pulling his people out of situations and calling them into a divine purpose by words of his promises. 

 

The story of Lazarus in John 11 is one such story and a favorite of mine. It offers one of the best descriptions of the power of God and its ability to call us out of difficult situations. The story, in a nutshell, tells us that Lazarus had died from a sickness, and it took Jesus a couple of days to reach where his body had been laid for burial. When he arrived, Lazarus's sister said if Jesus had come earlier while their brother was sick, maybe he could have prevented his death. 

Jesus was unmoved by the reality of death. He asked to be taken to where they had put the body. When Jesus got there, he called out to Lazarus to come out. The dead man heard the voice of his maker and came out from where he was laid. Jesus told those around him to loosen the burial clothes so Lazarus could go and live his life.

I don't know about you, but death is as final as it gets. There is hardly any way back once death occurs, especially after a few days. Yet God chose this finished tale to retell a story. One that says, even in the end, the power of God can break that hold and pull Lazarus back into life. 

 

When God speaks, nothing can hold it back from being established. God's words are final, so today, allow his words to ring louder in your ears than any words of fear and doubt. Believe that his promises for you are faithful, no matter how bleak and final the situation may be. 

Let the promises of God revive every area of your life that seems dead - every dream you've shelved and every hope you have extinguished. God wants to bring you into a new life and calls you out - Emerge, come alive.

 

Allow me to echo God's promises to you today. Let me repeat his words of hope concerning you; this is your season of joy and deliverance. Today God calls you out of everything that has held you back. He calls you out and empowers you to come alive again. Emerge from every dark cloud of fear, depression, pain, and doubt. Walk into the light of God and into a new season of grace, a new, answered prayers and fulfilled destiny.

 

It's time to rise and believe again. It's time to live free and dream again. It's time to shine and fulfill God's words concerning your life. It's time to Emerge!