“‘… and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord, I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.” John 11:26-27)

Martha’s statement here was a great confession of her faith in Jesus in general. But here she faced a very specific crisis in her life: her beloved brother Lazarus had died. What about that faith now? Did she still believe? Did she trust that Jesus was enough for this situation; that He really WAS “the resurrection and the life”, and that her brother, who had died, would live? She had to apply her general faith in Jesus to this SPECIFIC situation she faced.  She did, and it made all the difference for her.

We need to do that same thing today. It is one thing for us to make a general confession of faith in Jesus as our Lord & Savior — and surely that is an important thing to do. But if that faith is genuine, we will also apply it in the difficult times of our lives, just like Martha did:

— When we have lost a loved one, “do we believe this?” Do we believe that Jesus really is the Resurrection, and that because of Him, we will see them again? And as a result, we “do not grieve like those who have no hope”?

— When we have a material or financial reversal, “do we believe this?”, and we are not devastated by the financial loss, because our real hope is in the Resurrection, and our eternal treasures that are in heaven?

— When we ourselves face death, “do we believe this?” Do we face death with courage because we know that Jesus is our Savior, and although our body will decay, our soul will “never die”, just like Jesus said; that “to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord”? “Do we really believe this?”

We can apply it to all kinds of areas in our lives. It is important that we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior in a general way. But if that confession is real, and if it is to make a difference in the way we live our lives, we must also apply to the specific situations we face in life. As we face each one, we need to ask ourselves what difference our faith in Jesus makes in this particular instance, and hear Jesus asking us the question He asked Martha that day in her situation: “Do you believe this?”