It's impossible to see the TV without being inundated with an avalanche of bad news. It's an ugly world out there.
From Mark 5:21 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. 22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23
and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point
of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and
she will live.” 24 So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.
25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. 28 For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”
29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. 30
And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of
Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”
31 But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”
32 And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. 33
But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her,
came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”
35 While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”
36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” 37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. 39 When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.”
40 And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. 41 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement.
There
is enough substance in this passage for several sermons, but I want to
discuss the situation that many of us may be facing: weariness from a
seemingly-unending stream of bad news.
The news from our nation's
capital could wear out anyone, these days. It seems to be one bit of
unpleasant political hi-jinks after another, with no end in sight. Then
they all stand around, applauding each other for having successfully
done an "end-run" around yet another Constitutional prohibition.
People
say to me, "Reverend Paul, I've called, I've e-mailed, I've written.
I've talked to my neighbors, I've attended a town hall meeting, I've
been to three political protest rallies. I've prayed, but nothing's
working, and I'm tired. What am I supposed to do now?"
Jesus has an answer for that. Didn't you just know He would?
Notice
that Jairus came to Jesus in faith, asking for his daughter to be
healed. Jesus agreed immediately, and they set out for Jairus' home.
But
then something happened: an unexpected interruption. What must Jairus
have been thinking? I can almost hear his thoughts. "But ... but ... my
daughter! She's sick! And you said you'd come right away. We don't
have time for this!" And then, the worst possible news: "Don't bother
the Master any longer; it's too late. Your daughter has died."
But
that is when Jesus turned to him and said, "
Don't be afraid, but only believe."
In other words, "You came to Me in faith. You knew I could heal your
daughter. Don't stop believing and get into fear, just because the news
is bad!"
You can see where I'm going with this, can't you? Hebrews 11:6 says, "But
without faith
it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe
that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
(
emphasis added)
Jairus had faith when he sought out Jesus' help, but the bad news threatened to extinguish that spark of faith. Jesus
immediately turned to him and said, "Don't let that spark of faith go out: hang on! Trust Me!"
We
have trusted Jesus this far ... and He's always come through, hasn't
He? The answer is ALWAYS there. It may not be the answer we were
expecting; it may not have been the result we imagined; but He has
never, ever let us down.
Don't let that spark of faith go out. "
...assuredly,
I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this
mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will
be impossible for you." (Matt. 17:20) The mustard plant in the
Middle East produces tiny, tiny seeds, and Jesus said that's all the
faith you need. But you have to have that much.
Don't start
thinking that it's over, or that God has abandoned us. We've been
living in a season of amazing grace, and it may be that He is now
requiring that we stand on our two feet and exercise our faith. Like
any muscle, faith gets stronger when it's exercised.
Don't give up; rest if you need to, but
don't give up.
God's still on His throne, and He will NEVER abandon us. I don't care
how dark the political situation becomes, He's still our Savior!
