Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man 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.” John 11:43–44
Lord Jesus, we have much in common with Lazarus. Our need for resurrection was just as great as his. You spoke these words through the Gospel, “Come out” and we came forth from spiritual death unto newness of life. Hallelujah, we have already passed from death to life (Jn.5:24), from condemnation for our sins to the righteousness of faith (Rm.8:1;1:17) and from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of your belovedness (Col.1:13,14).
As surely as Lazarus needed to be freed from his grave-clothes, so do we. The smell and signs of death still bind us, blind us, and trip us up. Lazarus’ hands, feet, and face needed “freeing.” So do ours. Jesus, by your Word, Spirit, and grace—and our Gospel-friendships, grant us greater freedom.
Unbind our faces, Jesus. Open the eyes of our hearts to see more of your beauty, and more of your heart and hand everywhere. Fine tune our hearing to the frequency of the Spirit. Fill our mouths with words of praise for you, and encouragement and healing for those around us.
Unbind our hands, Jesus. Loosen our grip on things that do not matter. And rather than grabbing more for ourselves, may our hands be extended in servant love, generous kindness, and compassionate care.
Unbind our feet, Jesus. We want to walk closer to you than ever before. And we want to go with you into your commitment to make all things new and beautiful.
Those you set free are free, indeed, Jesus; and, indeed, we want more freedom. So Very Amen
