There is a divine confidence in the way Jesus speaks. It is not merely in what He says, but how He says it. His words carry the weight of eternity, transcending the moment in which they are spoken. This confidence is no clearer than in John 11, at the tomb of Lazarus, where Jesus—standing in the tension of mourning, disbelief, and expectation—uses past tense words while actively working in the present.
"Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" He speaks in past tense about something that hasn’t yet happened. It is not coincidence or casual phrasing; it is divine intentionality. For Jesus, the promise spoken and the fulfillment of that promise are inseparably connected. When He speaks, the end is already secured, though it has yet to unfold in real time.
This moment is thick with layers of meaning. Lazarus has been dead for four days. The stone sealing his tomb is a symbol of finality, of hopelessness. Mary and Martha have seen the death, smelt the decay, felt the weight of grief. They are living in the in-between—the gap between what Jesus promised and what their reality reflects. And yet, Jesus does not flinch.
“Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.”
Do you see it? Jesus prays with gratitude for something that has already happened. His thanksgiving is not for what God will do, but for what He has already done—even as Lazarus’ lifeless body still lies behind the stone. Jesus prays with the certainty of someone who exists outside of time, for whom the work of God is both already done and yet being done. He does not need to plead or beg because the outcome has been secured by the unshakable will of the Father.
This is the confidence of Heaven—the perspective that transcends the limitations of human time. Where we see waiting, Jesus sees completion. Where we see death, Jesus sees resurrection. Where we struggle to believe in the promise, Jesus stands in the assurance of the fulfillment.
“I knew that You always hear Me.”
There is a quiet power in these words. Jesus speaks as one who knows the heart of God intimately. He doesn’t question whether the Father hears; He knows. It is this knowing that transforms the way He prays, the way He speaks, the way He commands life to return to Lazarus. Jesus is showing us what faith looks like when it is anchored in the unshakable certainty of God’s nature.
And yet, Jesus says, “but I have said this because of the people standing around, so that they may believe…”
He speaks aloud not because He doubts, but so we might believe. His past tense declarations are not for His benefit but for ours. In this moment, Jesus is teaching us something profound: when we pray, when we stand before impossible situations, we can speak with a confidence rooted not in what we see but in what God has already declared.
We tend to live in the “not yet,” holding our prayers like fragile hopes, waiting for God to move. We pray as though God’s promises are tentative, as though His answers depend on our worthiness, our performance, or our understanding of the situation. But Jesus shows us a different way. He stands in front of a sealed tomb and thanks God for what is already done. The miracle has not yet unfolded in time, but Jesus knows it is already finished in eternity.
This is the posture of faith. To thank God before you see the outcome. To speak of His promises in past tense, as though they have already come to pass, because in the economy of Heaven, they already have.
We see this echoed throughout scripture.— When God speaks to Abraham, He calls him the “father of many nations” long before Sarah conceives.— When God speaks to Gideon, He calls him a “mighty warrior” while Gideon still hides in fear.— When Jesus tells His disciples, “It is finished,” the victory of the cross is still unfolding in real time, but the work is already complete.
God speaks as though the work is already done because, in His reality, it is.
The question is: can you pray like that? Can you stand before your own “tomb”—the situation that looks hopeless, the promise that feels too far gone—and thank God for what He has already done? Can you trust Him enough to speak in the past tense about the things you are still waiting to see?
When Jesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb, it is not just a demonstration of power; it is a declaration of truth: death does not have the final word. What is dead to human eyes is alive in the hands of God.
And the same is true in your life. The promises He has spoken over you are already done in His reality. The prayers you have cried out are already heard. The provision you need is already secured. The breakthrough you are waiting for is already finished in the heavenly realm.
So how do you respond?
You thank Him now. You thank Him while the stone is still in place, while the evidence has yet to appear. You say, “Father, I thank You that You have already heard me.” You let your words align with His truth, speaking in faith as though the miracle has already come.
And as you do, something shifts. Faith begins to rise. The stone begins to roll away. And you begin to see what has already been true all along: God’s promises never fail.
Jesus’ use of past tense words is not a grammatical anomaly; it is a divine invitation. He is inviting you to see as He sees, to pray as He prays, to believe as He believes. Because when you do, you will stand in awe as the glory of God—the expression of His excellence—is revealed before your eyes.
So speak with confidence. Thank Him with boldness. Stand at the tomb of your impossibility and declare: “Father, I thank You that You have already heard me. I know You always hear me.”
And then watch as the stone rolls away.
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