John 11:40 “Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.”
There is no doubt that as soon as “the stone” was taken away, the stench of death escaped from the “cave” as certified evidence that “Lazarus” was indeed “dead”. But, those who believed in the Son of God were about to “see the glory of God” in action. Our Lord Jesus Christ makes it clear that the reason for His prayer is to show that God the Father had sent Him and that there was perfect union between Them. It is a shame that some modern perversions of the Bible exclude I John 5:7 which plainly declares, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”. Twice more Jesus plainly declares that He and the “Father are one” (John 10:30; John 17:22). We need to know this; for, because this is true, Jesus could declare, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). This Sovereign Omnipotent Power is the force behind His grace and mercy toward us. When we “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16); we can be assured that the infinite power and wisdom of a gracious and merciful God is on our side. That does not mean that we will not suffer trials, tribulations, heartbreaks, troubles, etc. in this sin cursed world; but, it means that we have an Almighty friend that will help us through every one of them and will not leave us to fight our battles alone. “Lazarus” did indeed die, his family did mourn and cry, but they did have an Advocate and Friend in Christ Jesus our Lord. Similarly, we also face severe tribulations in our lives, but the same Lord Who had the power and authority to raise “Lazarus” to life again mercifully hears our cries and grants to us “grace to help in time of need” as His Sovereign Wisdom see fit!