Jesus' Dealings with Mary and Martha

Martha's first words to the Lord Jesus are, "Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.”
Is that an expression of faith in His power, or is she scolding Him for not coming right away? The Lord alone knows her heart, and He also knows that our faith may falter at a time of severe testing. He patiently leads her along by teaching her the truth as to His Person, the resurrection, and life through Himself that is beyond the power of death. Ultimately, she makes a beautiful confession: "I believe that Thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world." Is not this true worship?
Worship is the out flowing of the heart in adoration, from being occupied with the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ. It doesn't require perfect circumstances (according to our estimation). Some of the sweetest worship has ascended to God and His beloved Son from those who are terminally ill or in other situations that we would consider very undesirable. All that is necessary is that our hearts be completely absorbed with Him as our Object.
Once Martha reaches this point, there is no further conversation between her and the Lord. She just goes to get others to worship Him too. In John 1, two of John's disciples heard the result of his occupation with the Lord, "Behold the Lamb of God," and they followed Jesus. And when you and I spend time in His presence, we won't be able to keep it to ourselves either. Others will be affected and stirred to have similar fellowship with Him. Is not this too for the glory of God?
Mary runs quickly to meet Jesus, and her first words to Him are the same as Martha's. "Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." He alone knows both of their hearts and so, in perfect wisdom, He instructs the one but says nothing to the other. Instead, the Spirit of God records for us those touching words that speak of the Lord Jesus entering into the sorrow of His own at that moment. He groans in His spirit and is troubled as He sees the power that sin and death hold over man. Then, as the great High Priest, He is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities" and He weeps with those that weep. How precious and sacred those tears are! What love they communicate to our own hearts as we realize that this same blessed Son of God loves and cares and sympathizes with us in our trials.
The awe that resulted in those who witnessed this scene was a testimony to the depth and genuineness of His love for Lazarus His love and sympathy were felt in the midst of the trial, not simply by His removing it.
In time it is the Father's will that this trial be removed and so Jesus instructs them to take away the stone. Martha says, "Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days." Sometimes it seems that trials get worse before they get better. Unbelief raises doubts about the goodness that is in God's heart by questioning why He allowed the trial in the first place: Could He not have prevented it from happening? Yes, of course; He who controls everything in each of our lives could have ordered a different set of circumstances in Lazarus's life at this time. But faith leans on Him who is over all and looks beyond the circumstances to the heart of love that is directing all for God's glory. "Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?”
We know Rom. 8:28 so well and love to quote it, at least to others, when faced with a difficult circumstance. "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." What is His purpose? The next verses tell us. God desires that we might "be conformed to the image of His Son." He wants us to be just like His Son and be with Him where He is. So He has predestinated us to this blessing. He calls us and justifies us to make us perfectly suited to His presence, and ultimately He glorifies us—He brings us to Himself to enjoy all His splendor and excellence. Let us not be shortsighted in our view of a trial, but rather enter into this goal that God has in mind when He allows these things in our lives.