Author: living4hvn

Yesterday we celebrated the 4th of July, the anniversary of our nation gaining its freedom or independence.  This got me thinking about the words independent and freedom and what they really mean to us.  After thinking it over, I propose that the greatest freedom is servanthood, and the greatest act of independence is to choose to be dependent.  You’re probably thinking I have lost my mind and that this quarantine has really driven me to insanity.  Let me explain though.  Lol. After reading this you still may think I’m nuts, but you may also perceive independence in a different light.  

Do you remember when you were little (and this still may be true today) and you always wanted to do things by yourself.  “No mamma, ME DO!!!! “Daddy, I don’t need your help; I can do it myself”’ are often words uttered by our kids.  I think of the day when a child learns to ride their bike without training wheels.  The take off is very unsteady, and then suddenly the ride gets smoother.  Ah, the feeling of joy that it brings to them.  “Look, mommy I’m doing it all by myself!!!!  Confidence fills their little hearts and they feel like they can conquer the world- just them and their two wheels.  What they don’t realize is that their father, is running behind them and holding the back of the bike so that they don’t fall.  Suddenly, the father removes his hand and CRASH, BANG! The child is face to face with the concrete.  They are scared to get on the bike again.  Once they gather up the courage to try one more time they wimpier “daddy please don’t let go this time.”

Often times we want to be free from the bonds of rules, or to do things the way we please.  We have grand visions for our lives and we know we can obtain the world if only we put our minds to it.  “I just need to be brave and strong and trust my heart.  I will not let anyone or anything stand in the way of my dreams.  I’m the maker of my own destiny,” is often the motto of many men and women.  “People have often failed me, lies have been told, backs have been turned and I have been left to stand on my own anyways; so who needs others!”   The heart is too broken to trust anyone and so we  stand alone- bold and fearless- yet on the inside longing for someone we can truly be dependent on.  Someone we can put the full weight of our burden on and know they won’t collapse.  Someone who will be true to their word.  Someone who is faithful.

I have learned in my life, that it is not independence that brings true freedom;  it is being dependent on someone who will never disappoint.  I have found that person to be Jesus.  He has promised He will never leave me nor forsake me.  His name is Faithful and True.  His love knows no limits, His grace is abundant, and His mercies are new every day.  He never sleeps nor slumbers.  His arms are always open wide, and He bids me to cast all of me cares upon Him.  He will never collapse under the weight of my circumstances or be overcome by my sea of doubts and fears.  He works all things together for my good and is completely in control at all times.  You see my friend, I would be foolish to want to be independent from such a person.  Sometimes, though, in my old nature, I turn to Him and say “ let go Daddy, I can do this on my own.”  The effects are certain- I crash and burn.  When He picks me up and dusts me off, I look to Him with tear stained eyes and say, “please Daddy never let go.”  I need Jesus.  My every breath is dependent on Him.  He is my all in all.  He died so that I could be free- free to serve Him.  You see, servanthood is a blessing when your Master is your biggest fan and loves you with all of His being.  You want to please Him; you are glad to do the tasks He asks of you because you are doing it for the glory of the One you love and you know that they are asking you to do it for your good.

You see, only in being dependent on God can we truly be ourselves; the way God intended us to be and only in being His servant can we find true freedom.  Just remember the price that this freedom cost;  the lifeblood of the one we are serving.  This year may we celebrate our dependence and stand proud and tall as we proclaim, “we are servants of the Most High God.”

Toilet paper, paper towels, Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer….. People are swarming in masses to the store in order to “prepare” themselves for the Corona Virus.  I went to Safeway yesterday and I literally felt like I was in a line at Disneyland.  Costco is being bombarded with people who are running like Godzilla in order to be one of the lucky few who get their hands on the golden pack of toilet paper.  It is mass chaos.  People may not even need these items but they certainly want to be prepared for whatever may hit.  In a world that is out of their control, at least they can know they have enough supplies to get them through life for a month.  

I understand the concern.  This virus is spreading and it is dangerous.  People’s lives have been taken and certainly it has changed many things in our day to day living.   We should prepare for the future and what may come.  For this very reason, I am shocked that people are so quick to “prepare” for the next few months, and could care less about “preparing” for eternity.  The Bible warns that there is coming a day when Jesus will return to take His children, those who have accepted Him as Lord and Savior, home.  For those who have prepared, it will be a glorious day.  We will meet our Heavenly Father face to face.  All of our tears will be wiped away.  Sorrow and sighing will cease.  There will be no more sickness, nor pain. We will no longer have to deal with sin and temptation.  Oh what a day that will be!  For those who are not prepared, however, and have chosen to either put off the decision to make Christ their Savior, or who have out and out rejected Him, unfortunately this day will be the first day of an eternity of suffering and pain and regret and well… hell.  I do not write these words lightly for I know the weight they carry with them.  I just want to point out the fact that the Lord has given us  warning after warning in His word.  Not only has He warned us of the dangers of not being prepared, He has offered us the solution that will take care of us for eternity.  We do not have to stand in a long line or fight our way through a crowd in order to capture the golden ticket.  We simply have to admit we are our a sinner in need of a Savior.  We have to acknowledge that His sacrifice on Calvary is the only solution to this crisis.  Through the shedding of His blood, He can take a person sick with sin and clothe them in robes of righteousness.  What an awesome God.  The cure for sin is offered to all who believe.  There is no one who is excluded.  Rich or poor, black or white, man or woman, the worst of sinners or the “best” of society are welcome to take their position at the feet of Jesus.  Regardless of your past and in spite of your present, come..  The Lord is calling you to prepare yourself for eternity.  He longs that no one should perish.  His heart aches for those who are putting off salvation because He knows the outcome of being too late.  My friend, the government may be telling you to prepare for something that may or may not affect you, but Jesus is telling you to prepare for an eternity which is guaranteed, 100%, to hit every single human being.

For those who have accepted Christ as Savior, we too should feel the longing to share with other the joyous news that there is a cure for sin.  This is a perfect time to spread the good news.  We need to be lighthouses that point to Jesus.  We need to show others that, even though the world seems to be spinning out of control, Jesus holds the world in His hand and has complete control of every situation.  Therefore, if we know Him, there is no need to be terrified or anxious because we know what happens in the end.  Righteousness wins, death is defeated, and Jesus reigns.  We just need to BE PREPARED.  

“Behold, I am coming like a thief.  “Blessed is he who stays awake and who keeps his clothes (that is, stays spiritually ready for the Lord’s return), so that he will not be naked-spiritually unprepared- and men will not see his shame.”  Rev 16:15

“But if the slave declares: ‘I love my master… I do not want to leave as a free man’, his master is to bring him to the judges and then bring him to the door or doorpost.  His master must pierce his ear with an awl, and he will serve his master for life.”  Exodus 21:5&6

Happy New year to all of my friends!  I am sorry it has been so long since I have written.  I was in the hospital with pneumonia and it has been a busy few months, but I am so thankful to be feeling better and able to share my thoughts about the fresh start of 2020.  This year i have a few resolutions that I am praying the Lord will give me victory in.  One of them is to take captive every thought that the devil tries to throw at me.  Too often I have let Satan parade his army around in my mind.  His soldiers of doubt, anxiety, fear, discouragement, pride, self hatred, etc have marched around my head.  I am praying the Lord helps me to take those enemies as prisoners of war.  I want to recruit an army led by the Holy Spirit; an army of soldiers that are “true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, morally excellent and worthy of praise.” I want to be able to put my foot down and say, “Not today Satan!  You will not control my thoughts because I have my thoughts on Jesus, so get behind me with your army and hold up your white flag because you are a defeated foe.”

My other resolution is to get my ears pierced.  Yes, you heard me right.  I want to make a statement and I want it to be obvious to everyone.  Now, let me explain;  I am not talking literally here, but the spiritual analogy was too great for me to pass up.  You see, back in the days of the Old Testament a person could buy a Hebrew slave.  That slave was then obligated to serve his master for six years.  On the seventh year, however, he was able to leave as a free man without having to pay anything. What a relief it must have been to many slaves to be able to put on their clothes and walk out of the house free to do as they pleased after many years of forced labor.  There were those, though, who grew to love their Master for they had been kind and generous towards them all of the years of their service.  They had treated them with compassion and respect.  Those slaves then could make  a choice.  They could say “You know what, I do not want to leave as a free man.  I could not think of a better life than here with my Master.  I love Him.  In fact I think of Him more as family than I do as a boss.”  That slave’s Master was then to bring Him before the judges and then bring him to the door.  His master then pierced his ear with an awl through the doorpost.  This indicated that the servant was choosing to serve his master for life.

I told the Lord that I want Him to pierce my ear at the doorpost of His house.  I want to serve Him for the rest of my life, not out of a sense of obligation, or a sense of fear, but purely out of love.  For how can I not but love my Master, who has been so good to me over the years.  He only does what is best for me. He feeds me with the abundance of His storehouse.  He lets me dine at His table.  He provides me with clothes of righteousness.  He even adopted me as His own child.  He withholds no good gift and has gone so far as to offer me a mansion on His property when my time on earth is done.  There is no better life than one with my Master.  He is the reason I live.  He is the reason I have hope.  He has shown me so much love, that I do not deserve nor could ever repay.  His grace has overflowed into every aspect of my life.  He pours out His blessings and walks with me through every step of my journey.  I pray that my love for Him grows even deeper and that I live a life that makes Him proud.  He deserves every ounce of gratitude and love, praise and adoration.  I want the world to know that I am not at all being forced to serve.  It is an honor and a privilege.  I do it out of love.

“I will serve Thee because I love Thee

You have given life to me

I was nothing before you found me

You have given life to me.”

-lyrics by Bill and Gloria Gaither

“Dear Lord Jesus, I pray today that you pierce my ear at the doorpost of Your house. I choose to be your bond slave for the rest of my life.  Why?  Because I love You and I could think of no better place to be than in the presence of my Master.   You are precious and worthy of all my praise.”

Isn’t it amazing how you can read the Word of God over and over and glean something new every time!  Recently I was reading about the calling of the disciples in the book of Mark chapter 1.  Starting at verse 16 it says, “As He (Jesus) was passing along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, Simon’s brother.  They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fisherman.  “Follow Me,” Jesus told them, “and I will make you fish for people!  Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.  Going a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.  They were in their boat mending their nets.  Immediately He called them and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him.”

Two words really caught my attention as I was reading this passage of scripture again; and those are the words casting and mending.  Simon and Andrew were casting their nets before Jesus met them and James and John were mending their nets.  I got to wondering why the Lord would include those minute details; why not just say they were in their boats or they were fishing?  The Holy Spirit then opened my eyes to what important words those really are.  You see my friend, before we come to Jesus we are all either casters or menders.

First, there are casters.  Those are people who are casting their nets into the seas of life, hoping to fill their empty hearts with what they catch.  Some are casting into the sea of relationships, others into the sea of addiction,  still others into the sea of fame, beauty, success or wealth.  Then there are those who cast their nets into religion or good works hoping that they will find their answers to the questions of life.  Those nets don’t always come up empty.  Many times people gain the man or the woman they were hoping for or climb the corporate ladder and get to the top.  People make their millions or enjoy the highs of their addiction but in the end- what do they really profit from their catch?  Mark 8:36 says, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?”  My friend, what the Lord is really saying is even if you throw out your nets and haul in the biggest catch of fish one can imagine, what would it matter if the weight of those fish you caught made your boat sink and you went down with it.  You may have caught the fish, but you lost your life.  

Next, there are the menders; those who feel they need to fix themselves before they come to Jesus.  They need to get out of the relationship they are in.  They need to give up their addiction, so that they can come to the Lord as a sober person.  They feel the need to go to church or feed the homeless so that they can score some points with God.  They scrub and scrub their nets, trying to make them presentable.  Often times, the nets come out looking fabulous.  In the eyes of men, you could not find a nicer looking net.  Things are different through the eyes of God, however.  Isaiah 64:6 says, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all of our righteous acts are like filthy rags.”  You see, what the Lord requires is perfection- that is the measuring line.  Every single one of us falls short of that line and even our righteous acts are filthy when compared to the righteousness of God.  It would be like a person scrubbing a white suite and cleaning it to perfection and then putting it on a homeless man filled with soot and dirt and filth.  Whatever that man had on himself is now transferred on to the suit making it filthy as well.  The Lord is not wanting a clean suit my friends, the Lord is wanting a clean person, and only He can clean a soul.

After meeting Jesus, Andrew, Peter, James and John all had the exact same reaction.  Immediately they left their nets and they followed Him.  They stopped casting, they stopped mending and they started walking with the Savior.  Why?  Because they found in Jesus everything they were looking for.  

My friend, if you find yourself today casting out your net hoping that your next catch will be the one that brings fulfillment, or constantly trying to mend your net so that you can present yourself before God as a whole person- STOP!  Put down your net and run to the Savior just as you are.  Come broken, come used, come tattered or bruised.  Jesus will fill the desires of your heart and mend your broken soul.  Remember, the Lord never asked the disciples to fix themselves, only to follow.  If we do the following, He does the fixing.

Exodus 3:5- He said. “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

For the past few days, this verse has been coming to mind. Let me set the scene for you as to the context of what is going on in this story. Moses was in the wilderness, tending the flock of his father-in-law. Suddenly he sees a strange sight. There was a bush that was on fire but not being consumed. He goes to take a closer look out of curiosity and from the bush he hears the voice of the Lord saying, “Moses, don’t come any closer. Take off your sandals for the place in which you are standing is holy ground.”

What has been going back in forth in my mind is the question, “what made that ground holy”? It was ground in the middle of the wilderness. I’m sure sand was covering ground for miles and miles andthat that sand was no different than any other sand. Other shepherds must have passd the same area, time after time, and not thought anything of it. So why all of the sudden was that ground now holy ground. The answer- because the presence of God was there in that moment. 

The reason this touched me so deeply is that at times I feel as if I am walking a wilderness land. Day after day I deal with people not being able to understand me because of my messed up voice and not being able to eat food that I long to enjoy. My circumstances seem harsh and I feel isolated. Reading this verse though I hear my Savior whisper, “Jessica, take off your sandals for the place you are standing on is holy ground.” My flesh seems to say “Lord, this place can’t be holy- it hurts too much; it doesn’t feel sacred it feels scary.” Jesus, in HIs love answers back, “Jessica, this place isn’t holy because it feels good or because it is extraordinary in the world’s eyes. It is holy because I am with you in it.” Oh, how my heart needed this reminder. Every place and every circumstance that a christian may find him or herself in, if the Lord has placed them there, is holy ground. 

You may be working hard every day at your job and every day you may go unnoticed and unappreciated. You may be a stay at home mom, dealing with temper tantrums and messy houses on a constant bases. You may be a single person waiting on the Lord to send you someone, all the while trying to be content with where the Lord has you now. You may be living in constant pain, seeing no end to your hard circumstances. You may be secretly praying for your hearts desire, while trying to be happy for others blessings. You may feel weary, not wanting to take one more step. The Lord wants to whisper into your heart today “Child, take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground. I am here with you in your circumstances. This place is sacred. It may seem ordinary but in reality it is extraordinary. It is the place where I have asked you to be, but it is also the place where you can experience My presence in such a deep way.” 

So today I want to challenge you, as I have challenged myself. Let us lay aside the burdens of this world (our sandals so to speak ) and let us bask in the fact that we have the privilege, on a daily basis, to stand on holy ground. May we remember that Christ has promised to “never leave us nor forsake us.” Every circumstance, whether it be mundane or overwhelming, is a chance to bask in the presence of the Almighty and to see Him come through for us in extraordinary ways.

Frightened, hurting, in search of hope. You have tried everything you can to fix your situation but nothing has worked. In fact, you are getting worse. Tired and worn out, every resource you had has been used up. You are ashamed of your life and know that people must be judging you. You are on the brink of giving up. My friend, have you ever been in this type of situation? Let me share with you a word of hope that the Lord gave me.

I was reading in Mark chapter 5, starting in verse 24. ” Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around Him. A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind Him through the crowd and touched His robe. For she thought to herself, ” If I can just touch His robe, I will be healed.” Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition. Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from Him, so He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched me?” But He kept on looking around to see who had done it. Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell in front of Him and told Him what she had done. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”

There are many details about this story that fascinate me. First of all, the Lord was in a crowd of people. He was being pressed in on every side. People were constantly brushing up against Him and touching Him, yet this one woman’s touch immediately caught His attention. Why? Why did her touch stand out from the crowd. Why was her touch different than all of the others? Her’s was a touch of faith. She knew she was in a desperate situation and that her only source of hope was Jesus. She knew no one else could help her and she definitely could not help herself. She had tried that avenue before and been sorely disappointed. She knew she was sick and that only the Great Physician could meet her needs. The others in the crowd may have been there out of curiosity. They may have been hanging around Jesus so they could catch a glimpse of His famous miracles. Some in the crowd may have been dragged along by members of their family, having no interest of their own, Some may have just liked being with a crowd of good people. This woman, however was there for one purpose only- to reach out to Jesus in faith. She used her last ounce of energy to extend her hand and touch the Savior. Jesus immediately took notice. He felt healing power leave His body. When He asked who touched Him, He already knew who it was. He was God. He wanted the woman to acknowledge what she had done. Frightened, she fell at His feet and, in between sobs, told Him her story. Jesus had no condemnation for this woman. In fact, He called her daughter. Can you imagine the surge of love she must have felt. Jesus, Himself, was calling her His child. He gave her not only the gift of physical healing, but also the gift of peace. He healed her soul. What a precious Savior we have.

My friend, Jesus never rejects those who reach out to Him in faith. No sin is ever too big that he cannot forgive , no hurt is ever too painful that He cannot heal, no life is ever too broken that He cannot restore. You just have to come to Him, acknowledging your desperate state. You need to admit you are sick before you can receive healing. Reach out your hand my friend; Jesus will be there to restore hope and end your suffering. Amen!

I was having my devotion in the book of Psalms, the other day, and a portion of chapter 31 really stood out to me. David was crying out to the Lord and he said ” Listen closely to me, rescue me quickly. Be a rock of refuge for me, a mountain fortress to save me.” This sounds like a desperate plea for help. He is basically saying, ” Lord, I need you to come through for me and be a firm foundation I can depend on!!!” Take a look at the next verse though- “For You are my rock and my fortress; You lead and guide me because of Your name.” Did you catch that? David must have realized that He was asking the Lord to be who He already was!!!

So many times I find myself in a similar situation; desperately crying out to God to be my strength when I am weak, to be my hope when i am depressed, to be the Lover of my soul when I am feeling lonely, to be my joy when I am down, to be my enough. I ask Him to be what my heart needs. This verse was like the Lord was telling me- “Jessica I ALREADY AM all of those things to you! You just need to claim it by faith and start walking in the truth of it. Stand on your Firm Foundation, fix your gaze on the Lover of your soul, tap into the Source of Joy that will never run dry. I already am the Great I AM. I always have been and I always will be.”

My friend, if you are in a situation today where you feel as if you need more of the Lord, remember that He has already given you His all. He IS your enough. You just need to tap into the resources that have already been provided. He is everything you will ever need. My prayer is that, instead of crying out for more, we can start pouring out our thanksgiving to the Lord for who He already is. “Thank you Lord, for being my…. joy, peace, comfort, true love, source of truth. “

Ok, here is another blog filled with raw emotions and honesty. These past couple of days, I have really been struggeling with anxiety. I have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder (which is being made worse because of being on and off of prednisone!!!!!) If you have ever dealt with this condition, you know how crippling it can be. Your heart starts pounding, your stomach often feels a bit queasy, every sound makes you feel as if you were about to implode. You don’t really want to be around people because you don’t want to say or do something you regret but you also don’t want to be by yourself, left alone with your emotions. I often feel as if I am in the midst of a storm and my thoughts are like crashing waves that I cannot control. As each wave pours over, I get the feeling I am going to drown.

The other day I was being hit with anxiety attack and I was praying to the Lord for help. He brought a certain story to mind, not necessarily one that I was expecting, but the Lord’s thoughts are completely different than ours. The Lord had told his disciples to get into their boat and go ahead of Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, while He dismissed the crowds He had been preaching to. The disciples followed orders, and started sailing. Little did they know, a violent storm awaited them. Their boat was being tossed and battered by the waves and the wind was against them. Doing everything possible to save themselves and their boat, they found themselves in a desperate situation. There was nothing they could do, for they could not control the forces of nature. Suddenly, in a distance they saw a figure walking on the water. Terrified, they thought they were seeing a ghost, and they cried out it fear. The Lord immediately spoke to them saying, “Take courage, it is I! Do not be afraid.” Peter then replied, “Lord, if it is really You, ask me to come to you on the water.” Jesus said, “Come!” So Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and went toward Jesus. When he saw the effects of the wind, he was terrified, and he started to sink. “Lord save me!”, he cried. The Lord then reached out, caught him, and said “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got in the boat the storm stopped.

I often think of this story being about the Lord calming the sea, and Peters lack of faith, but the Lord gave me a different persepective this time. He showed me that when He asked Peter to come to Him, He had not calmed the storm yet. The waves were still roaring and the wind was howling. As long as Peter kept His eyes on Jesus, he was walking on the waves, even in the midst of the storm. It was when he looked at the circumstances around him, that he started to sink. The Lord spoke truth into my soul through this story. We are going to face storms, whether mental, emotional, spiritual, or physical. Often times we cry out to Jesus to calm the storm, but what He wants us to do is to walk in the midst of it, all the while keeping our eyes on Him. The storm may rage on, but that is ok because He is still sovereign! Your feelings may seem out of control, but keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, not letting your feelings rule your life but letting the King of the Universe rule your life. (Remembering that feelings often times do not equate with truth.) You may be hit with wave after wave in your job and the Lord is calling out to you to walk to Him. Take the step of faith. Remember that the Lord is your ultimate boss and He will take care of you no matter what circumstances may look like. You may be a mom, overwhelmed with the stress of raising kids that you love so very much, but more often then not make you feel like you want to pull your hair out! Remember who ultimately gave you the task of raising those kids and keep your eyes focused on Him. He may not calm the child- but he will help you to walk even in the storm. You may be filled with lonlieness, after the loss of a loved one, or even just feeling lonely because you are single. You feel as if you are going to drown in depression. Keep your eyes focused on the Lover of Your soul. Know you are not alone, and walk on.

My friend, your storm may not cease; waves may still crash, and the wind may still howl. I may have to live with anxiety for the rest of my life. You may be left with chronic pain or a hard to deal with child but the truth of the matter is that the Lord is still in control. Keep your eyes focused on Him and walk on your waves. Can you imagine what an awesome story it would have been if Peter would have kept focused on Jesus and made it to the other side! We have the opportunity to do just that. “Keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.” Keep walking on dear friend, don’t look at the storm or listen to the wind, just focus on your Savior.

Have you ever felt as if your situation is beyond hope? Even if Jesus were to intervene now, it would be too late. You feel desperate and confused. Let me share with you a story from the Word of God that touched my heart and hopefully it will touch yours as well.

There was a man named Jairus. His daughter was on the verge of death and so he found Jesus and begged Him to come to his house and heal her. Jesus, touched by this father’s cry, gets up and starts following the man towards his house. A crowd was gathered and so I’m sure they weren’t moving very fast but they were making progress. Then, suddenly, Jesus stopped and said “who touched me?” At this point in the story Jairus could have spoken up and said, “Excuse me Master, I was first in line. My daughter is gasping for breath and every moment matters. Please, please Jesus, deal with this situation later. My daughter is dying Lord, don’t you understand? You are her only hope and we have no time to stop!!” We do not, however, hear anything of Jairus raising his voice to contest. Therefore, Jesus stops and a woman falls before Him who had been bleeding for years. She had touched the hem of His garment and been healed. Jesus said “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be free from your affliction.”

While Jesus was still speaking those last words to the woman, a group that had been at Jairus’ house came and said, “Your daughter is dead.” Why bother the teacher any more.” I am sure at that point Jairus’ heart sank. His little girl was gone, and they might have made it to the house if this interruption had not taken place. His friends were telling him to give up hope and let Jesus go His way, but we hear nothing of Jairus blaming Jesus or telling Him He was too late.

Jesus turned to him and said “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” Again, He could have said, “thanks Jesus, but my daughter just died- belief will do me no good at this point.” Instead, however, we see the man continuing to lead Jesus to his home.

Outside of his house a crowd was already gathered. They were weeping and wailing loudly. Jairus could have joined the crowd and mourned the loss of his daughter. He could have put on sack cloth and ashes and told the Master to go His way but again, we hear of none of that. Jesus then states that there was no need to cry because the girl was only sleeping. Jairus could have laughed in disbelief, just like the crowd was doing. He could have said, “ok Jesus, now you have gone too far. I see my daughters dead body. She is not breathng and has lost her coloring. She IS DEAD Jesus, and you missed the boat! He could have said this but he did not. Jesus went into the house, took one look at the little girl, and said “get up!” In an instant she arose and began to walk.

Jairus faced many obstacles to get to his miracle. He faced a huge interruption. In fact, someone else was recievieng the very thing he was asking for. He faced others telling him to give up- that it was too late. He also faced having to trust, in the face of the impossible. He saw his dead daughter, but he had to have the faith that Jesus could do the impossible and bring his daughter back to life. What faith this man had and what a mighty God we serve.

“Lord, in the face of my dire situation, even if all hope looks to be gone, may I trust you, just as Jairus did. May I be happy for the miracles of others, even when I see a delay in my own. May I not listen to the voice of the crowd telling me to give up praying and that all hope is gone. Even when my dreams die and my hopes are shattered, Lord, may I trust that you can bring life from death and turn the situation for my good and Your glory. Thank you for being a good and loving Father. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.”