Hopeless? Never!

"While Jesus was yet speaking to the woman, a member of Jairus' household arrived bearing dreadful news.

Recall that our story began with Jesus agreeing to attend to the daughter of Jairus, the synagogue ruler.

On their journey towards his house, Jairus was informed that his daughter had died; hence, there was no need to bother Jesus any longer.

What were Jairus' immediate thoughts? Maybe he was disappointed that Jesus had stopped to address the sick woman.

Maybe he was angry with himself for not staying by his daughter's side.

Whatever the case, he assuredly was overcome by grief and despair.

The news that Jairus received would have surely devastated him save one vital fact-he happened to be standing next to Jesus.

There is an important principle to be observed.

In life we will experience heartache and pain.

Our relationship with God does not allow us to avoid heartache; it simply sustains us when we experience it.

Therefore, like Jairus, we must stay close to Jesus.

By definition, trying times are generally unexpected.

Nevertheless, it is during trying times that we need to hear the Word of God most clearly.

Jesus overheard the report given to Jairus and countered with His own prognosis.

Jairus had specifically requested that Jesus revive his daughter, and Jesus had every intention of honoring his request.

Jesus promised Jairus that if he believed and did not doubt, his daughter would be healed.

In essence, He told Jairus to keep believing.

Jairus could not allow the negative report to extinguish his belief.

He had to sustain the same level of faith he'd expressed when initially making his request.

Jairus would soon find that his daughter's healing was simply delayed but not denied.

When Jesus arrived and found the family and friends mourning the girl's apparent death, He stated that the girl was not dead but asleep.

Many of those present ridiculed Him because they felt certain the girl was dead.

Undeterred, Jesus went into the house with a chosen few, including the parents and Peter, John, and James.

Then Jesus took the girl by the hand and told her to get up.

Just as He'd promised, the girl arose fully recovered.

Think about the subjects of our story and notice that their stories are distinct yet intertwined.

We have the woman with the flow of blood who had suffered for 12 long years.

We have the young girl with the terminal illness who had lived for only 12 short years.

Both lives were fully restored because of the power released through faith.

In the case of the woman with the flow of blood, there appeared to be no cure.

In the case of the young girl, the cure appeared to arrive too late.

We learn that when we place our trust in God, our blessing may he delayed but never denied.

We learn a great deal about faith through these miraculous account.

We learn that God desires to be involved in our earthly affairs yet requires our faith to intervene.

We learn that no matter how desperate a situation appears, God has the final word.

We learn that if we add patience to our faith, God will honor our perseverance.

Finally, we see the awesome possibilities as a result of the exercise of faith.

Faith in God allows us to revive situations that otherwise seem hopeless."

Stay Strong!