Week 5 - Jairus Part 3

Last week we ended with Jairus facing a decision of whether to listen to the Lord and, “Fear not, believe only…” or to walk away in the defeat of his daughter’s death.

Thankfully, Jairus chose to listen to the Lord and follow Him to his home where his deceased daughter awaited them. Now, the devil loves to beat you when you are down, and his actions were no different in this case. As soon as Jairus and Jesus arrived back at the house, they were bombarded by mourning and weeping from the paid mourners, an act that was customary during this time. The sounds alone were probably enough to make Jairus want to turn and run. But, he didn’t…he held to Christ’s words. Then, another blow to his faith came, these mourners laughed Jesus to scorn when He stated that the little girl was not dead but sleeping. Jairus was alone in his stand…no one even wanted to admit that Christ could still possibly bring a miracle. (Please note that the little girl was actually physically dead, but to Jesus, she was only asleep because he was about to “wake her up.”) Nevertheless, Christ did not tolerate this lack of belief. He immediately put these mourners in their rightful place…outside the door. You see, Christ can not work where unbelief resides. The Bible states in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith it is impossible to please Him. Christ knew that if these people stayed, they would cast a negative influence on Jairus because (unbeknownst to them they were actually being used by the devil in one final attempt to discourage Jairus’ faith).

Jesus allowed Jairus to face many faith tests that day, and Jairus passed each one. He chose to fear not and to believe and because of that, Christ honored his faith and his beloved daughter was raised from the dead.

Friend, are you in a Jairus situation? Does it seem like death is lying at your doorstep, Christ has taken a leave of absence, and all is hopeless? Perhaps you have even humbled yourself until you are prostrate on the floor and you have still not heard from the Lord. Well, take heart. Christ is still on the scene and He has heard and will continue to hear your plea. He wants you to continue to look to Him until His perfect moment arrives. Believe me, I’ve had times in my life when I thought my prayers were literally bouncing off the ceiling and hitting me in the head and the devil had to be in a backpack on my back. But God had mercy every time and came to my rescue. Christ promised us that He would not allow us to be tempted above what we are able to bear without a way of escape. He is our escape every time. So, when the devil shoots another fiery dart your way, and believe me he will. Look to Christ and “Fear not, believe only.”

Monday: Select and read one of the 3 gospel accounts of Jairus. (Luke 8: 41-56, Matthew 9: 18-26, Mark 5:21-43)


Tuesday: Have you ever had one of those days when the devil has hit you on every side and just when you think you can’t take any more, another blow comes? What did you do? Did you fight back with God’s help or give up in defeat? (Remember, there are no wrong answers. We’ve all faced defeat, but it is good to look back and evaluate our responses to the trial.)


Wednesday: Think back about a time when you have chosen to believe Christ despite the “death” that lay at your door? How did Christ honor your faith? If you don’t have a time that you can recall, ask God to strengthen your faith so that you may honor Him when you are faced with another trail.


Thursday: Spend time today thanking God for His merciful help in times of need.


Friday & Saturday: Review the memory verses from the past two weeks: Luke 8:50 and Romans 8:28