Do you ever feel as though Jesus has forgotten you? Does at feel like time is running out and if He doesn't hurry it up, it will be too late? There are times in our lives when as much as we try to hold on to our faith, the circumstances of life pull on us all the more to cause us to lose our hope and our joy.
Jairus, one of the synagogue rulers, faced a similar situation. His twelve year old daughter was very sick and at the point of death. Jairus risked his reputation and sought out the healing power of the Messiah. Jairus had decided to call upon Jesus and seek His hand of power to come upon this situation.
This was probably not easy for Jairus to do. He was a synagogue ruler. Going to Jesus meant going against his religion. Jairus was in fact putting himself in a dangerous position. There comes a time when we must be willing to turn aside from our old ways and seek God's truth for our lives. Once we do this, we can expect to see the goodness of God brought forth in even the deadest of circumstances.
Jesus arose and followed him (Matthew 9:19). The word 'follow' here means to join someone on the road they are on. You see, when we come to Jesus in faith and believe in His power, then He will join you. But that doesn't mean that we won't encounter more trouble along the way. On their way back to Jairus' house, Jesus encountered another person who had decided to do something different. The woman with the issue of blood was also at the point of death. She reached out and touched the hem of Jesus' garment and was immediately made well. But her healing delayed Jesus trip. While the woman was testifying of her healing, the word came that Jairus' daughter had died and that there was no need for Jesus to come. I wonder how Jairus felt. Was he offended that Jesus didn't hurry up and get there faster? Jesus wasted no time in reassuring Jairus that all was not lost. He encouraged Jairus to only BELIEVE and he would see the power of God manifested in this circumstance (Mark 5:35). And so they continued on.
When they arrived at Jairus' house, there was a huge commotion going on (Mark 5:38-39). Everyone was wailing and crying and mourning the loss of this little girl. The word used for 'noise' in this passage actually means to throw into confusion. One of the enemy's greatest weapons is confusion! I'm sure at this point it was difficult for Jairus and his wife to not get caught up in their emotions. But none of this deterred Jesus from His mission. He was determined to finish what He came to do. Faith had sought Him out and fear was not going to stop Him!
Jesus put all of them out, except for the girl's parents and three of His disciples and proceeded on to the girl. Once He was at her side He commanded her to wake up and she did! Despite unbelievable circumstances, the resurrection power of God prevailed. At that moment, new life began. But it did not happen all at once.
Resurrection is not an instant process. Sometimes, things have to be good and dead, before Jesus arrives to resurrect them. But one thing we must never forget is that regardless of what the situation looks like, Jesus is on the way! He has not forgotten you. He has not abandoned you. ONLY BELIEVE and you will see the goodness of the Lord. We must be willing to continue on with our faith and believe that with God all things are possible. We have to put all the negative, fearful, doubting thoughts out of our minds. We have to CHOOSE to think on good things (Phil 4:8) and hold fast to our confession of faith. When the noise of confusion is bellowing in our ears, we must remind ourselves of God's faithfulness toward those who believe. Jesus is on the way and we must keep the door of faith open, because at any moment He will arrive on the scene of our circumstances.
So remember, whatever comes your way today, ask God's hand of might and power to reach out and help you. The very moment you ask for His help, you can rest assured that He is on His way with everything you need. It may not be instant and it probably won't come like you expect, but trust that God is at work. He works all things to good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Put aside all doubt, fear, confusion and unbelief and hang on, because Jesus is on the way!
Dear Lord, I confess to you that I have allowed fear and confusion to cloud my vision. I call upon you right now and I ask You to put Your hand upon the "sick" circumstances in my life. I need You and I am choosing today to Trust that You are right now working on my behalf. You have a good plan for me and I am expecting to see Your power and Your deliverance in my life. Thank you that You are my ever present Help and that I can trust You in every area of my life. In Jesus Name, Amen.
For further reading: Mark 5:21-43, Matthew 9:18-26, Philippians 4:4-8
Cinde Lucas is an ordinary person, who happens to LOVE to encourage and motivate people! She has a passion to share the Love of God with people and to let them know that God is GOOD and He has an AWESOME plan for their lives! Cinde truly desires to lead people into a closer relationship with God through music; her prayer is that the ministry we share will uplift and encourage people to be all that God created them to be. Visit Overflow Ministries at www.CindeLucas.com.