Keep Believing
We are facing so many challenges in our world today that are causing great suffering. Sometimes things go from bad to worse before God brings deliverance. We may have done everything we believe God wanted us to do like fasting, praying, meditating on the Word of God, declaring, decreeing and most of all, believing. And after doing all of that, it appears things have gotten worse. Now, you may think “Where is God?” Has he deserted us.? God has not deserted us. God is getting ready to glorify Himself in fulfilling His purpose in His timing.
Jesus was teaching his disciples through word and action what it means to have faith in Him as God, to trust Jesus to define truth and reality, trusting that His timing, purpose, and plan are right and always loving. As Jesus crosses over the Sea of Galilee returning to Capernaum, he is met with the urgent arrival of Jairus to plead for the health of his 12 yr. old daughter, who was sick at home. Jairus was one of the rulers of the synagogue in Capernaum, asking the Lord to come and deliver his daughter, demonstrating that he had faith in the fact that Jesus could make her well again. Jesus said yes and they headed toward the house. Jairus’ faith was tested as Jesus delays their journey, stopping to heal a woman with a bleeding issue for twelve (12) long, suffering years. Yet while we tend to seek miracles, Jesus desires relationships. He will call us out of the crowd like he did this woman to make a connection, acknowledging our need for Him and His provision for us. She was given a new life and purpose as a daughter of God.
A servant from Jairus’ house came to report to him that during Jesus’ delay, his daughter had died. Thinking that death marked the end of Jesus’ power and ability to help, the servant tells Jairus that he can leave Jesus alone now; it is too late as she is no longer sick but dead. Jesus acknowledged Jairus’ reality and fear, admonishing him with “Do not fear, only believe” (Mark 5:36). Here it is, Jairus has gone to find Jesus and connected with Jesus. He cried out to Jesus. Jairus believes in Jesus. He is walking with Jesus and then he gets the news that things have gone from bad to worse. But we must love this about Jairus, he kept on believing and walking with Jesus. We must do the very same thing when things go from bad to worse. He may have started to cry, but he kept walking with Jesus. I am sure the news hurt badly, but he kept believing and walking with Jesus. He did not let the fact that the situation had become more difficult stop him from believing and walking with the Lord. Jesus challenged Jairus to stop fearing and keep believing in Him, even when it seems impossible.
So, when Jesus arrived at the house, He put the professional mourners out and raised the little girl from the dead because the worse came right before the deliverance showed up. Sometimes it gets darker before deliverance, but we know that night and day are the same to God. We must change our perspective and keep believing even in the dark.
This story teaches us many things about a miraculous faith through suffering. We must exercise faith for healing and deliverance. Just as Jairus did, we should approach and seek God with humility. We must be persistent in making our requests. We must be patient, avoiding desperation, anxiety, and fear. We must continue to believe and walk with Jesus who brings hope, joy, compassion and empathy. Our faith must reside in the person of Christ and not in our plans or agenda. Jairus believed Jesus could heal his daughter needing only to lay hands on her, but this belief was challenged and produced fear when his daughter died before they arrived. Jesus disrupted Jairus’ plan because our faith should not reside in a thing, like the laying on of hands, or the touch of a garment, but in relationship with the person of Jesus Christ and His ability which is unlimited.
This story teaches us not to rely on the crowd to define reality and the truth, but trust Jesus to reveal the truth by the Spirit of God. The men who brought the news to Jairus believed that death meant the end of Jesus’ ability to heal. The professional mourners laughed at Jesus when he said, “The child is not dead but sleeping” (Mark 5:39). When all hope seems lost and life goes from bad to worse, and troubles around us seem insurmountable, and we have tried everything we know to try, “Do not be afraid, only believe” (Mark 5:36).
We are taught in this story that our time and God’s time may be different. Twelve years to the woman Jesus healed with the issue of blood may have felt like a lifetime, while to Jairus and his daughter, twelve years was too short. Jesus’ delay to Jairus must have felt like time had run out on him, while the unclean woman felt that Jesus was right on time. God’s timing, purpose and plans are oftentimes different from ours, but His purpose is always for His glory (John 11:4). He uses time and process to help us get to the end of ourselves and our own self sufficiency, doubt and unbelief. Jesus wants us to learn to depend on His sufficiency alone. Do not fear but keep believing.
While we may feel overwhelmed by circumstances and situations that we face in life, God is always present and at work, and His timing and purpose are perfect. He is working all things together for His good and for His glory (I Cor. 10:31). We must trust God at all times and keep believing. Nothing is impossible with God, so do not be afraid, and keep believing.