Verse of the Day 2/17

Verse of the Day 2/17/16

 

 

Mark 5:36  But Jesus overheard^[a] them and said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid. Just have faith."  New Living Translation

 

In today's passage Jesus was going with Jairus to see and hopefully (in Jairus' mind) heal his daughter.  Suddenly they receive news that she had if fact died.  At this point some from the crowd wanted Jairus to leave Jesus alone, stop troubling Him because there was no longer any need.  Jesus encouraged and challenged Jairus with the words, "Don't be afraid.  Just have faith".  Other translations say "only believe", "keep trusting", and "keep on believing".  You could combine all of these and be right on target.

 

I read this verse this morning in a devotional from Devotionals Daily where Jon Weece writes:

 

"Faith is used as a noun 243 times in the New Testament. Faith is used as a verb 243 times in the New Testament. What does that tell us? It tells us that faith is equally about what we believe and what we do with what we believe………This wasn't a call for Jairus to believe in himself or even to have faith in faith. The verb Jesus uses is in the present tense ("keep on believing"), meaning that Jesus was instructing him to continue with the faith that first brought him there: faith in Jesus and His ability to heal!"

 

What do you do when others tell you to give up and just as importantly what do you say to others when some are telling them to give up?  I've had two instances in my life where it would have been easy to give up.  After our son Jeff's auto accident and brain injury, we were told by doctors that he would never walk or talk again.  We had prayed for complete healing.  That didn't happen but we kept praying, sought unconventional treatments and after two years, beyond the time that doctors said that his speech would return, he spoke.  It may have been medications that helped but ultimately it was God who brought about his healing. 

 

A few years later our younger son Jason was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.  Our hearts sank.  We all prayed, keep praying, kept believing.  The tumor was there, it showed up on MRIs but apparently wasn't growing.  It was inoperable as stated, so that wasn't an option.  They decided not to treat it.  The doctors monitored it for a few years until a couple of years ago he went back for another scheduled MRI and when the doctors met with him they said "this is where the tumor was", it was gone.  This time there was no question, God had taken it away. 

 

Our faith isn't greater than others.  We still struggle, we still have doubts and questions, but we do trust in God, we do have faith and we'll keep believing.

 

From there in Mark 5 I went to my daily reading in Psalms to chapter 56 where I read these verses that tied in well. 

 

Psalm 56:3-4  When I am afraid,
    I put my trust in you.
⁴ In God, whose word I praise,
    in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can flesh do to me? English Standard Version (ESV)

 

 

I have notes in my Bible on these verses from John Piper, "Notice: it does not say, "I never struggle with fear." Fear strikes, and the battle begins. So the Bible does not assume that true believers will have no anxieties. Instead the Bible tells us how to fight when they strike."   Are you afraid of something today?  Trust Jesus, believe, have faith and keep believing.

 

 

Blessings,

 

Mike

 

Mark 5:34-43The Message (MSG)

³⁴ Jesus said to her, "Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you're healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague."

³⁵ While he was still talking, some people came from the leader's house and told him, "Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any more?"

³⁶ Jesus overheard what they were talking about and said to the leader, "Don't listen to them; just trust me."

^37-40 He permitted no one to go in with him except Peter, James, and John. They entered the leader's house and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and neighbors bringing in casseroles. Jesus was abrupt: "Why all this busybody grief and gossip? This child isn't dead; she's sleeping." Provoked to sarcasm, they told him he didn't know what he was talking about.

^40-43 But when he had sent them all out, he took the child's father and mother, along with his companions, and entered the child's room. He clasped the girl's hand and said, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, get up." At that, she was up and walking around! This girl was twelve years of age. They, of course, were all beside themselves with joy. He gave them strict orders that no one was to know what had taken place in that room. Then he said, "Give her something to eat."

 

 

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