There are times you cry out to God with every fiber of your being to help in a crisis. You summon all the faith you possibly can and you pour out your soul like water from a glass pleading with God to help you.
This is exactly what a desperate father did in Mark 5. His daughter was near death and he asked Jesus to help. Jesus was delayed while ministering to another lady. In the meantime, people from the father's house came to tell him there was no use troubling Jesus any further. The little girl had died.
When Jesus heard this His response was startling as well as troubling. Here is what He said, "Do not fear, only believe." [Mark 5:36] What? Are you kidding? Do not fear. The father's worst fears came true. His daughter died. Jesus did not help. And what is this about only believe. The father did believe. He brought the matter of his little girl to Jesus but Jesus did not help her. Jesus did not prevent the girl's premature death.
Jesus accompanied the father to see the little girl. When He walked in the house and saw everyone weeping He said something even more startling. "The child is not dead but sleeping." We are told clearly in [Mark 5:35] the little girl died. How could Jesus say she was only sleeping. This troubled me for a long time until one day I got it.
That little girl died. She ceased living. Yet from Jesus' perspective she might as well have been taking a nap because a miracle was about to take place. Jesus saw what nobody else could see. He knew the future. He knew that weeping would soon turn into unbridled joy. Jesus brought the little girl back to life.
From your perspective things may look bleak. Hopeless. They are beyond your control and your ability to fix. From God's perspective what looks beyond hope may be the opportunity for a greater miracle. So let me encourage you today in the words of Jesus, "Do not fear, only believe." Believe He knows what He is doing even though the answer is delayed. Wait on Him believing He will come through. Believe that nothing is too difficult for Him. Even if it appears too late and the nightmare came true remember the "child is not dead but is sleeping." Believe what God says no matter what your eyes see in front of you devastating faith and courage. Believe that God has not forgotten you and your need even though it appears you are waiting in vain. ONLY BELIEVE.
That means keep trusting. Place your confidence in Him. Be assured He is able to handle anything in your life. That is what only believe means.
As I write this my back is against the wall. What I see before me tells me to doubt, to worry, and stress out. What I read tells me only to believe. God knows my plight as well as yours. I will trust Him in the darkness and harshness of present circumstances trusting Him for the needed miracle.
Could it be God's delay is producing a bigger platform for Him to do a miracle in your life? I believe that to be true. So do not give into fear but only believe.
No comments:
Post a Comment