Heavenly Father,

In the sacred stillness of this moment, I come before You with a heart that seeks to understand the depths of Your ways. I reflect upon the words from John 11:20, which tell us that "Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house." Lord, this passage stirs my soul as I ponder the significance of action and patience in our walk of faith.

O Lord, like Martha, I yearn for the moments when I can spring forth in faith and greet You. There are times in my life when I can hear the call of Your presence in my heart and I feel an urgency within me to seek You. Help me to respond as Martha did, with eagerness and expectancy, to come to You and to bring my needs, my desires, and my anxieties before Your feet. May I always be quick to run toward You when I sense You drawing close, recognizing that in Your presence I find peace, hope, and restoration.

Yet, I also remember Mary, who sat still in the house, enveloped in her grief and contemplation. Lord, I do not always have the strength or courage to approach, and perhaps there are times when I am like Mary—holding onto my fears and doubts, hesitant to engage. In the stillness, she found her own way to commune with You, and it serves as a poignant reminder of the beauty of both action and stillness in our relationship with You.

Help me, dear God, to find balance in my responses to life’s challenges. There are moments when I need to act and moments when I must wait patiently in the assurance of Your timing. Teach me the wisdom of knowing when to move forward and when to remain in silence and prayer, embracing the stillness to hear Your voice clearly. Let me take comfort in the truth that in both action and waiting, You are present, guiding, and sustaining me.

As Martha approached You, she expressed her faith amid her sorrow, saying, "If thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." (John 11:21) Lord, in her plea, I see the raw honesty of human emotion—the longing for intervention, the pain of loss, and the hope that perhaps, with Your presence, things would have turned out differently. Help me to bring my own lamentations before You, acknowledging my vulnerabilities and the areas of my life where I feel disappointment or even despair.

Lord, sometimes I struggle with the "if only" scenarios, questioning Your timing and Your ways. I confess that my heart can be heavy with unmet expectations and unfulfilled prayers. Teach me to trust in Your divine plan, even when I do not understand. Remind me that my finite perspective cannot grasp the infinite wisdom of Your will. May I be reassured that You are always working for my good, even when circumstances seem dark and lost.

I ask for the comfort that only Your presence can provide. May my heart remember that You are the resurrection and the life. Just as You called Lazarus forth from the tomb, resurrecting hope and life anew, may I place every dead dream and every heavy burden in Your hands, believing that You can breathe life into that which seems lost and hopeless.

As I seek to follow You, Lord, help me remember that every step towards You, whether in motion or in stillness, brings me closer to understanding Your love. I entrust my journey to You and ask for Your grace to guide me through every trial, reaffirming my faith in Your eternal goodness.

In Jesus’s mighty and beautiful name, I pray,

Amen.