20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”
22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
23 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26 News of this spread through all that region. Matthew 9:18-26 (NIV)
During the tough times of life we may feel out of control. COVID-19, for example, has put all sorts of external controls on our lives that we’ve never had before. And it’s not at all clear how this pandemic will continue to impact our lives.
I’m pretty sure that Jairus would have felt overwhelmed with his daughter rapidly approaching death. Any good parents would go to great lengths to save their child, but at this point it was pretty hopeless. What could Jairus do?
God gave Jairus the idea to look for Jesus. For Jairus there was a way out. He set out to find the last best hope. And, finding Jesus, he pleaded for healing and life for his dying daughter. Imagine how his hope and faith grew as Jesus went with him.
Then, they came to tell him that it was too late, that his daughter was past healing, and that Jesus couldn’t possibly help him now. He looked to Jesus, and Jesus spoke a kind word that rekindled his dim flickering hope. Jairus reached out to a living hope, and, in doing so, his stress and anxiety didn’t have any place to fester and grow. In waiting upon the Lord, it didn’t matter what the situation looked like on the outside because inside there was a hope that Jesus could help him.
Jairus’ work of faith was this:
- To see that His only hope was Christ,
- To come to Christ for help—casting his cares upon Jesus,
- To wait upon His Lord for the help he needed.
Look for ways to trust God and draw near to Him. Pray with me: that God would open our eyes to a rich life of faith and hope in Him, that we would esteem Him as the most important part of our lives.
Jairus heard the most beautiful words through his faith: “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”
Are there situations in your life, thoughts and temptations that you need Christ to speak to? Something that seems overwhelming to you and you need to bring it to Jesus and wait upon Him? Jairus did that, and the result was incredible. His daughter came back to life. The resurrected Christ comes to you to give you life and hope.