Do You Have a Favorite Bible Story?

Hello blog readers! I pray that Jesus is blessing you abundantly and Mary is helping you love like her!

For our youth ministry programs, Friday is a day we look forward to. On Fridays we have a program called Drop-In for middle school students. It's a time where middle schoolers can come hang out, eat snacks and learn a little about their faith in the process. Every week we have a Bible verse from the upcoming Sunday's Gospel reading and we usually do an activity that helps teach about the Bible passage. Today I was starting to get ready for this Friday's Drop-In by reading the Sunday's Gospel. And guess what?! It is my all time favorite Bible story! I started reading it and a huge smile spread across my face as I read about how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Now you might be asking, why does Rachel love that Bible story so much? Well let me explain.

In the Gospel of John, it tells us that Jesus got word that his friend, Lazarus, was ill and was about to die. Jesus and His apostles travel to see Lazarus but he is dead before they get there. When Jesus arrives both Martha and Mary (Lazarus' sisters) meet Jesus and tell Him that Lazarus has died. Then comes my favorite verse of the whole Bible (John 11:35) that says, "Jesus wept". That's it. It's the shortest verse in the Bible but my absolute favorite. It's my favorite because Jesus shows His humanity. He also shows us that we are not alone, especially if someone close to us in our life has died. Jesus loved Lazarus and when He heard that he had died and saw his sisters crying, He wept himself. This passage gives encouragement to us all that no matter what we are going through in our lives, Jesus is right there with us. When we cry, He's right there beside us crying too. This idea has given me so much comfort, especially the past few years, as I have dealt with the death of someone close to me.

But the story doesn't end there! Jesus then brings Lazarus back to life. This is where Jesus shows His divinity and gives a foretaste of His own resurrection. I can't read that story and not get pumped because GOD WINS! Death isn't the final answer. Salvation is ready and waiting for us. Praise the Lord!

That, in a nutshell, is why I absolutely love this Bible story. I could just keep writing more and more about this story but this post is long enough already. But I do have a question for you: do you have a favorite Bible story? If so, leave a comment because I would LOVE to hear them!