(Mark 5:26 NIV) Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Faith and Patience VOL III – Never Give Up!” by continuing with the story of Jairus and his daughter. I hope you enjoyed the 4th of July. My family and me sure did and we are ready to get back to work today.
In our last message we took a close look at Jairus’ earnest confession of faith. Jairus’ words, backed by his belief, moved Jesus and Jesus went with him to his house. Jesus was on a faith mission to fulfill what Jairus had spoken. Remember, fear moves satan, but faith moves God. So Jesus, the disciples, and Jairus all left for his house. Guess what? The crowd followed as well. I like to say that it was because church folk are nosy (smile). So there they were, Jairus, Jesus, the disciples, and the crowd; all heading to Jairus’ house to see a miracle. This is when the story takes a turn for the worse for Jairus. Sometimes things get worse before they get better. A woman from inside the crowd touched Jesus in a special way and her touch of faith caused Jesus to stop. One man’s words of faith caused Jesus to go and one woman’s touch of faith caused Jesus to stop. It looks like Jesus (God) was moved by faith.
Jesus held a conversation with the woman. I can imagine what was going through Jairus’ head. I am sure the enemy was flooding his mind with thoughts of failure and death. The enemy was probably telling Jairus, “This sure is taking long. Your daughter is not going to make it. This woman is going to cause you to miss your blessing.” But there he was, waiting on Jesus. He could do nothing but wait. Jesus was moving, but Jesus was not on his timetable, Jairus was Jesus’. That’s how it is for us when we are waiting on God. Jesus was finally wrapping up the conversation when someone from Jairus’ house came and said, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the teacher anymore?” Wow! Just like that, his hope for his daughter had seemed to slip through his fingers. Fear flooded his body. His daughter was lost. His hope was dead. His life, as he knew it, was over.
The last words ringing through his head were, “Why bother the teacher anymore?” See, this was an attempt from the enemy to get Jairus to tell Jesus not to come to the house. Jairus’ words of faith were what moved Jesus to start towards his house and Jairus’ words of fear could now stop Jesus from coming. But thank God that Jesus spoke before Jairus said anything. Jesus told Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” What was Jesus saying? He was saying that there was still hope for his daughter. The same words of faith that Jairus had spoken were still valid. He had already said, “Come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.” Jesus could still do that, but not if Jairus told him not to come. If Jairus said, “No. Stop. It’s over. Don’t come.” Then Jesus would not have gone. God will not force Himself upon you. God will either honor your faith and release His blessing or honor your fear and withhold it. This is a major point of this series. We will stop here for today.
So what does this mean to you today? Lots of things, but for today I will simply focus on the fact that the enemy wants to get you to stop believing. Nothing is impossible to him that believes (Mark 9:23), but not if you stop believing in the space between your confession and the completion of it. Is there anything you have given up hope on? If there is, this is your opportunity to repent and to start believing again. Life is tough sometimes and we all face challenges, but we must never give up, cave in, or quit! Never, never, never stop believing! No matter how long and how hard it has been, God can still bring it to pass! Do you believe that?
Closing Confession: Father, I declare, by faith, that I do not allow frustration to cause me to stop believing in the space between my confession on the completion of it. I combat frustration by constantly reminding myself that You are a God of Your Word and that no matter how long it takes, You will make Your Word good in my life. My faith cancels out my fear. I am not afraid, I only believe and I keep on believing, no matter how much opposition I face. And if things get worse before they get better, I believe it will simply be a greater testimony. I will never, never, never stop believing! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
