Fifth Sunday of Lent

Prayer Helps Us Trust

Over the past few weeks of Lent, we have been reflecting on prayer—how it is the way our relationship with God grows. We began by seeing that prayer starts as a simple conversation with God, and last week we saw how prayer helps us see life more clearly. Today, the Gospel shows us something more: how we pray when life is difficult.

In the story of the raising of Lazarus, we hear one of the most powerful moments in the Gospel, but before the miracle happens, something very human takes place—Jesus weeps. He stands before the tomb of His friend and shares in the grief of Mary and Martha. This reminds us that prayer is not only for peaceful moments; prayer is often most important when life is difficult.

Mary and Martha cry out, “Lord, if you had been here…”—words filled with pain—and yet, even in their grief, they still turn toward Him. That is prayer. Sometimes prayer is filled with questions, sometimes with silence, sometimes with tears—but it is still prayer. And in the midst of that, Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life.” God is always working, even when we cannot yet see it.

Prayer keeps us close to that hope, because prayer keeps us close to the One who brings life even from the tomb. For each of us, what is difficult right now may be different—perhaps a health concern, something in our family, uncertainty about the future, or a situation that is not resolving the way we hoped—but whatever it may be, we are invited to place it in the Lord’s hands and trust that He is walking with us.

As we prepare to enter Holy Week, we are invited to stay close to Him—to walk with Him in prayer as we follow Him into Jerusalem, to the Cross, and to the tomb. Because the One who called Lazarus from the grave is the same Lord who will give His life for us and rise again on Easter morning.

Over these weeks we have seen that prayer begins as a conversation with God, prayer opens our eyes, and prayer helps us trust Him even when life is difficult. So in the days ahead, stay close to Him, because when we walk with Christ, we never walk alone, and He will always lead us through what is difficult into new life.