How To Have An Unshakable Faith When I Face The Death Of A Loved One | Unshakable | Abbey Frazier

May 31, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When God’s Delay Feels Like Abandonment in the Storm

Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus deeply—yet he chose to delay coming to heal Lazarus. His love doesn’t always align with our expectations of rescue. In seasons of waiting, when prayers seem unanswered, God’s sovereignty remains a mystery. His delays are not rejections but invitations to witness a greater glory. Even when death appears to win, Jesus proves he is Lord over every timeline. Trust grows when we release our demands for immediate fixes. [29:54]

“Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick.’ When he heard this, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.”
(John 11:1, 3–6, NIV)

Reflection: When has God’s timing confused or frustrated you? How might his delay be inviting you to lean into his character rather than your desired outcome?

Day 2: Honest Tears at the Tomb: When Worship Feels Impossible

Mary fell at Jesus’ feet, raw and undone, while Martha clung to theological truths. Both responses were holy. Grief isn’t tidy—it’s a collision of anger, doubt, and aching questions. Jesus doesn’t demand polished faith but welcomes our unfiltered hearts. His own tears at Lazarus’ tomb sanctify ours. Healing begins when we stop performing and start pouring out our pain to the One who collects every tear. [37:37]

“When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.”
(John 11:32–33, NIV)

Reflection: Where do you feel pressure to “fix” your grief for others? What would it look like to bring Jesus your unedited emotions today?

Day 3: Walking Down the Aisle of Restoration After Loss

God rarely replaces what we’ve lost, but he rebuilds with sacred intentionality. A stepfather’s absence at a wedding becomes a tapestry of mentors. A shattered dream becomes space for new purpose. Restoration isn’t erasure—it’s God weaving redemption through every broken thread. He doesn’t ask us to forget but to watch him repurpose our pain into platforms for his glory. [43:23]

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you.”
(Joel 2:25, NIV)

Reflection: What loss feels irreplaceable to you? How might God be restoring—not replacing—that space in your life right now?

Day 4: The Question That Resurrects Dead Places: “Do You Believe This?”

Jesus didn’t ask Martha to recite doctrine but to stake her life on one truth: “I am the resurrection and the life.” Belief here isn’t intellectual agreement—it’s the gutsy choice to anchor in Christ’s identity when circumstances scream otherwise. Every grief, every doubt, every “why” circles back to this: Is he who he says he is? Your answer rewrites your story. [51:17]

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’”
(John 11:25–26, NIV)

Reflection: What part of your current struggle most challenges your belief in Jesus’ power? How can you voice your “yes” to him in that tension today?

Day 5: When Grief Becomes a Gateway for Others’ Salvation

Lazarus’ resurrection amazed the crowd, but the greater miracle was the salvations sparked by Mary’s raw journey to the tomb. Our honesty in grief—not our performative strength—becomes a testimony. Your tears water seeds of faith in others. What feels like a private valley may be the very path others need to find Christ. [48:23]

“Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.”
(John 11:45, NIV)

Reflection: How might your season of loss be opening doors to minister to others? Who needs to see your authentic walk with Jesus in the midst of pain?

Sermon Summary

John sets the scene in Bethany where Lazarus, the beloved friend, lies ill and then dead. Jesus names the end before the end appears by saying the illness will not lead to death, and then chooses to delay. The text lets the delay sit inside love. Because he loved them, he stayed. The sovereignty of God refuses to be reduced to timelines that make sense on paper. The illness does not lead to death, but it does lead through death, and the passage teaches that God often walks disciples through what they would never choose so that his glory and their faith might be deepened.

Martha meets Jesus with doctrine burning bright in her bones. Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died, but even now. Mary meets Jesus with tears and no extra words. Lord, if you had been here. Silence. Both women offer honesty, and the text records Jesus receiving both. The Lord dignifies the even now faith and the not yet faith. Grief is not one size fits all. The passage even separates the weeping. Mary wails. Jesus’ tears run quiet and hot with anger at death. The Son hates death. He came to abolish it. Honest lament does not repel him. It moves him.

At the tomb, Jesus commands the stone to be taken away, thanks the Father, then cries with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out. Resurrection breaks in, but the story pushes further. Not every loss ends with a replacement. God often restores. Scripture names restoration as God giving again, making good, bringing peace. Joel’s promise of restored years gathers up the empty places and fills them with surprising provision, community, and new strength to walk forward carrying memory, not pretending to move on.

John also records a quieter miracle. Many who came with Mary believed. The honesty of grief becomes a doorway for others. Unshakable faith turns out to be about something bigger than personal relief. Jesus centers the whole chapter with his I am. I am the resurrection and the life. Do you believe this? The living Christ answers every aching question with himself. I am is the presence in the room when feeling runs dry and the power at the grave when hope seems gone. Faith becomes unshakable not by perfect composure, but by clinging to the One who is life.

Key Takeaways

1. Sovereign love sometimes delays God’s timing in John 11 refuses quick fixes and ties delay to love. The mystery of sovereignty invites trust when understanding runs out, not because pain is small, but because God remains good and present. The journey often leads through what feels like absence before restoration appears. Faith learns to look for his hand when his heart feels hidden. [29:54]
2. Honest lament is holy worship Mary’s bare grief and Martha’s even now both stand before Jesus without being corrected. The Lord meets faith and sorrow without shaming either, because healing cannot grow in hiding. Honest tears become incense, and the tomb becomes a sanctuary where God receives truth-tellers. Such worship shapes a resilient soul rather than a performative one. [37:37]
3. Jesus meets anger at death The text shows Jesus weeping in a way mingled with anger, revealing his opposition to death itself. That righteous heat dignifies the disciple’s own fury and numbness in loss. Holy anger can be a door into deeper communion rather than a wall against it. Running to Christ with it is how restoration begins. [40:22]
4. God restores more than replaces Resurrection power sometimes looks like new provision, not a reset of the past. Scripture’s promise to restore the years is a pledge to give again peace, people, and purpose. The empty spaces can become places of surprising companionship and strength. Replacement removes; restoration redeems. [43:23]
5. Resurrection life demands personal trust Jesus does not offer an idea, but himself. I am the resurrection and the life turns grief’s questions into a single invitation to believe. Unshakable faith settles not on outcomes, but on a Person who outlives every loss. The question Do you believe this remains the turning point of every story. [50:52]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[20:31] - Unshakable series wrap-up
[21:33] - Family story and Tony’s care
[23:56] - ICU crisis and goodbye
[25:17] - Title and opening prayer
[27:23] - Why John 11 matters
[28:44] - Jesus delays out of love
[30:44] - Mystery of God’s sovereignty
[36:54] - Martha’s even-now confession
[37:37] - Mary’s holy honesty
[40:22] - Jesus’ anger at death
[42:37] - Lazarus, come out
[43:23] - Restoration over replacement
[48:23] - Salvation through honest grief
[50:52] - Do you believe this?

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 11:1-44 (NIV)
(Read the full account of Lazarus’ illness, death, and resurrection, including Jesus’ interactions with Martha and Mary, his emotional response, and the miracle at the tomb.)

Observation Questions

In John 11:4-6, Jesus delays going to Lazarus despite hearing of his illness. How does the text explicitly connect this delay to Jesus’ love for the family?
Compare Martha’s statement, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know…” (John 11:21-22) with Mary’s words, “Lord, if you had been here…” (John 11:32). What differences do you notice in their responses to Jesus?
The passage describes Jesus as “deeply moved” and “troubled” (John 11:33, 38). What specific actions or emotions in the text reveal his attitude toward death?
After Lazarus is raised, John notes that “many… believed” (John 11:45). What role did Mary’s honest grief play in drawing others to witness Jesus’ power?

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus’ delay in responding to Lazarus’ illness (John 11:6) be an act of love rather than neglect, even though it caused temporary pain?
Martha declares belief in resurrection theology (“I know he will rise again”), while Mary expresses raw grief. How do both responses honor God, and what does this teach about the validity of different forms of lament?
Jesus weeps (John 11:35) but also acts with authority to raise Lazarus. How does this tension between sorrow and sovereignty redefine what it means to trust God in suffering?
The sermon highlights that “God restores more than replaces” [43:23]. How does Lazarus’ resurrection—and his eventual physical death again—point to a deeper restoration beyond temporary fixes?

Application Questions

When have you experienced a situation where God’s timing felt like a delay? How can the truth that “sovereign love sometimes delays” [29:54] reshape your perspective on unanswered prayers?
Martha’s “even now” faith and Mary’s silent tears were both met with grace. Which response do you relate to more in your current struggles, and how can you bring that honesty to God this week?
Jesus’ anger at death (John 11:33, 38) shows he hates what harms us. What loss or injustice stirs holy anger in you? How could you bring that frustration to Him instead of letting it isolate you?
The sermon says, “God often restores… giving again, making good, bringing peace” [43:23]. What “empty place” in your life could you ask God to fill with surprising provision or companionship?
Jesus asks Martha, “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26). What practical step can you take to cling to Him—not just an outcome—as your source of unshakable hope this month?

Sermon Clips

43s

#HonestWithGod

“``See, one of the holiest things you can do is bring your honesty to God. It's one of the holiest things we could ever do, letting God see all of our hearts just as it is. See, both Mary and Martha responded in honesty. One sister gave God glory while one sister wasn't ready yet. And church, don't miss it. Both responses were accepted by God. He accepted both of the sisters' honesty because all God has ever desired from you is for you to be honest with him because you can't heal in hiding.”

33s

#JesusWithYouInGrief

“Jesus was angry because there was a part of him that absolutely hated death. Do you know that about Jesus? It was never a part of his original design. Go back to the Garden of Eden. It was never a part of his original intention. Jesus can't stand death. He came to abolish it. So if you're angry in your grief today, know from this passage that Jesus sits with you. He can relate in full. And rather than allowing your grief to remove you from God, run to him.”

42s

#KnowJesusPersonally

“Because this truly is a question that changes everything. It's one you have to ask yourself, is Jesus just the person someone else told you about or is he the one you've come to know for yourself? Is Jesus just this feel good story that briefly numbs your pain or is he your very reason for living? Is Jesus the one you run to when something's wrong or is he your go to in all things? See, in order to heal from our pain, Jesus must be so much more than just our Sunday routine. Jesus must be our absolute everything because he already said he's the great I am.”

37s

#JesusMeetsYourAnger

“See, what's powerful is when you study these words in the scriptures, we see that there's actually two different types of weeping taking place. See, Mary's weeping was more like a wailing. It was a loud deep cry. While Jesus' weeping was more quiet, mixed with anger even. And I wonder if you can relate to that at all. Have you ever been so angry you could cry? Or maybe so angry you didn't even know how to cry anymore? See, Jesus meets you in that.”

30s

#ResurrectionAndLife

“Who's gonna stay with me when life moves on but it feels like my life never will? God says, I am. Just invite him in because he already said he's the resurrection and the life church. That is who he is. He is the resurrection and the life. He always was and he always will be. The question is, do you believe it for yourself?”

48s

#RestorationOverReplacement

“So Jesus ends this story with a miracle, with power and might. But the question for us is what do we do when it feels like not every single story gets to end with a resurrection? Which leads us to our third thing, and it's my favorite. God doesn't always replace, but he often restores. God doesn't always replace, but he often restores. Can God replace? Absolutely. But most often, God is found being a restorative See, I love how one author says that a person cannot be replaced, but God can restore a loss.”

34s

#GodLeadsThrough

“But here's the thing about God, he meant every word he spoke. See, this illness did not lead to death, but it did lead through death. And that tells me that sometimes God is gonna take us through some things. And sometimes those things are things that we much rather avoid. Now, can God save us from it? Absolutely. Can he fix it for us so that we would never go through it? Sure. But sometimes God takes us through something so that we can learn a deeper level of his heart that we couldn't before.”

29s

#GodSaysIAm

“You might say, well, without my spouse, how I'm gonna manage these bills or who's gonna take care of us? And you'll hear a whisper by God saying, I am. You might say, God, how am I gonna live without my parent? Who can I call when something's wrong? Who's gonna walk me down the aisle when I get married? And God says, I am. You might cry out saying, God, I'm scared to live alone. Who's gonna be with me in this big empty house? And he says, I am. You might say, who can I trust? I am.”

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How To Have An Unshakable Faith When I Face The Death Of A Loved One | Unshakable | Abbey Frazier

Devotional

Day 1: When God’s Delay Feels Like Abandonment in the Storm

Day 2: Honest Tears at the Tomb: When Worship Feels Impossible

Day 3: Walking Down the Aisle of Restoration After Loss

Day 4: The Question That Resurrects Dead Places: “Do You Believe This?”

Day 5: When Grief Becomes a Gateway for Others’ Salvation

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

How To Have An Unshakable Faith When I Face The Death Of A Loved One | Unshakable | Abbey Frazier

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