John 11:21-27
Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.  But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.  Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.  Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?  She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

Martha had a strong faith.  She had also sat at the feet of Jesus and learned of Him.  She had heard His teaching, and now when a tragedy hits her own life, she can apply what she has learned to a real-life situation.  She knew with certainty that Jesus could have prevented Lazarus from dying.  He had healed many sick people, even those close to death.  She knew Jesus could have helped her brother.  Our knowledge of Jesus shows us the kinds of things that He can do.  We can come to understand His power, His character, and His ways and how He can intervene in our lives.

Martha also knew that God’s will is always done.  She knew that anything Jesus asked for would come with certainty, so she still had hope.  Perhaps she thought that now that Jesus had finally come, He would be able to intervene somehow in this situation, even though Lazarus was already dead.  We, too, can know with certainty that God’s will will be done in our lives, even if we don’t always understand why things happen or how they can change.

But Martha knew that life would come again.  She knew that death here for believers, though painful for those left behind, is not the end.  She had hope in the future resurrection that Jesus had taught about.  Perhaps one of the most comforting lessons we have from Jesus is that there is something better waiting for us when we’ve trusted Him as our Savior.  The temporary nature of the trials and struggles here gives us great hope to endure through them and look forward to what He promises us is yet to come.

Martha’s faith was so strong because she knew with certainty who Jesus was.  He was not just a rabbi or a miracle worker putting on a show.  He was not merely a prophet, but He was the Son of God, the promised Christ, the Savior of the world.  In the end, our faith is not in our understanding of Jesus, but in Jesus Himself.  Our faith is in who He is, and He is God.  He is our Savior.  He is the one who we can depend on no matter how confusing or painful or hard life gets.  May those things we have learned and know of Jesus help us to face the difficulties of life with unwavering faith in Jesus, the source of our life and faith.