Restoration of Hope

When he had said these things, Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” And he that was dead came forth, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

John 11:43-44

There are moments in life when we feel like all hope is gone—when a prayer goes unanswered, a dream fades, or our heart feels heavy with waiting. I began praying and studying for this blog several weeks ago. As I was writing yesterday, I received a text message from someone I love deeply. They were feeling discouraged and defeated. We share a love of music, so I sent a link to the song “Rise Up” by Cain, which was inspired by the story of Lazarus.

Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha. These three siblings lived in Bethany and were friends and disciples of Jesus, and they were people Jesus loved (John 11:5). When Lazarus became ill, Mary and Martha sent an urgent message to Jesus. He was near death, and they wanted Jesus to come and heal him. When Jesus got word of Lazarus’s illness, he replied, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it” (John 11:4).

Jesus waited for two days before leaving for Bethany. By the time he arrived, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. According to Jewish custom, this detail was significant. They believed that for the first three days after death, a person’s spirit hovered near the body, allowing for the faint possibility of returning to life. But on the fourth day, all hope was gone.

Martha met Jesus with a heart full of grief and faith. She told Him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). But Jesus didn’t offer her an explanation. Instead, He responded with a promise: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26).

Mary fell at Jesus’ feet in despair. Seeing her sorrow and all those mourning with her, Jesus was deeply moved and wept with them. As he approached the tomb, Jesus asked for the stone to be rolled away, and He prayed to the Father, thanking Him for hearing His prayer. Then he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” Lazarus came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Jesus did not remove Lazarus’ grave clothes, but He told the mourners and Lazarus’ loved ones to do it. This is such a powerful display of God’s design for the church. All through the Bible, we see that God often invites people to take action after He’s done something miraculous. Christ gives spiritual life, and as His followers, we teach, guide, and help one another break free from the “grave clothes” of our old ways.

Isaiah 61:3 tells us that God gives us “beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” He has exchanged our grave clothes for something far greater.

When I received that text message from my loved one yesterday, I knew He was telling me to help them take off their grave clothes. I spent the next two hours talking to them and sharing the hope that God had been filling me with. We live in the reality that we will face trials, suffering, and even death. But we don’t do it without hope.

In the hands of anyone else, Lazarus’ situation would have been hopeless. But our God is the God of the impossible. “Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17)

We live with hope. We live knowing that Jesus is with us right now, bringing resurrection power into our lives. Jesus has promised us eternal life, and that promise isn’t just for the future—it’s for today.

The story of Lazarus is a reminder that death doesn’t get the last word. Jesus does. And His word is life. The power that raised Lazarus is the same power that raised Jesus from the grave, and that same resurrection power lives in us (Romans 8:11). Because of that truth, no sin is too deep, no situation too hopeless, and no heart too broken for God to restore.

Come on and rise up

Take a breath, you’re alive now

Can’t you hear the voice of Jesus calling us

Out from the grave like Lazarus

You’re brand new

The power of death couldn’t hold you

Can’t you hear the voice of Jesus calling us

Out from the grave like Lazarus

(Cain, “Rise Up”)