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Roll Away the Stone!

June 4, 2012

Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” John 11:39-40

When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He could have easily rolled away the stone Himself, but He chose to use Martha to participate in Lazarus’ miracle. From this situation, we realize that God wants others to be part of His mighty works. Even though Martha and those present were not on their A-game and were struggling with disappointment and grief, Jesus still used them to accomplish His plan.

Prayer is an invitation from God to participate in people’s breakthroughs. There is no greater way to remove stones. With shouts of grace we can obliterate the obstacles hindering others (Zechariah 4:7). We need to be ready to roll away the stone—ready to pray on the spot, to have a word in season, and to be bold about it—even if we feel unprepared.

In Galatians it says to bear one another’s burdens (6:2). Through prayer, you can become a burden-bearer and a yoke-destroyer. Our circumstances and emotions do not dictate how effective we can be. Instead, Jesus declares, “If you believe, you will see the glory of God” (John 11:40b). God will pour out His Spirit on your Word-based beliefs, enabling you to see miracles.

God is looking for people who will respond to Him and participate in the supernatural work He is accomplishing all over the planet. “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (2 Chronicles 16:9a). We all encounter days when we are irritable and don’t feel effective; yet that is probably right when God will use us to participate in a miracle. We are invited into these breakthrough moments, and as we believe, He provides the amazing resurrection power to get it done!

Press on,
Pastor Jeff

Copyright © 2007 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.