Martha said to Jesus, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God.” (John 11:27)

I watched one afternoon as a squirrel scampered down the tree outside my house. It saw me and, for a moment, stopped and hung upside down, studying me carefully. Its bright eyes darted from side to side. I sighed. I felt that life had just turned upside down for me and I was envious of the little creature who could cling so effortlessly upside down and wished I could manage the same thing.

I’m not alone when it comes to feeling the upheaval of the world. Events had turned Martha’s life upside down. Her beloved brother, Lazarus, had died. And the one person who could have made a difference had, inexplicably, shown up four days too late. Martha could have asked “Why?” but chose instead to say, “I believe.”

When we do not understand the turmoil around us, our natural inclination is to panic rather than trust. But Martha’s example teaches us that Christ always knows timing. Our trust in God can keep us stable in the most tumultuous of times.

Most Holy God, Your timing is always right. Help us to hold on when our world is topsy-turvy, knowing that You will be there!