<p>11:6&nbsp;<i>When he heard that Lazarus was sick, he therefore stayed two days longer in the place where he was- </i>The &quot;therefore&quot; perhaps relates to His <i>agape</i> love for them introduced in :5. It was because of this love that He allowed Lazarus to die; because He had a longer term, loving plan for their ultimate salvation. Spirituality can affect third parties; in this case, Lazarus was raised because of Martha and Mary&rsquo;s faith. And so it can be that our prayers and intercessions for others can bring about some degree of salvation for them which otherwise wouldn&rsquo;t happen. We also see that the Lord can delay things, not least His second coming, because He is working along with human freewill in order to achieve a greater glory for the Father. His delay in responding to prayer and entreaty is not because of inattention or deafness; rather is it because He has a far wider purpose, to an even greater glory than providing instant response to our needs.</p>