Waiting for Jesus, part 24: Standing Amazed

He, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Child, arise!" And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her to eat. Her parents were amazed; but He instructed them to tell no one what had happened. (Luke 8:54-56 NASB)

The word translated here as "amazed" is existēmi, and (according to Vine's) literally means "to stand out from" or (BLB) "to throw out of position". The phrase "out of his mind" comes from this word. You might well imagine that Jairus and his wife were "out of their minds" with joy, surprise, and delight at the miraculous healing of their daughter. 

This idea of "thrown out of position" is intriguing, isn't it? To fully understand, we have to look at the position they were in before. Jairus was a synagogue official, so he had considerable standing and influence in the community. As his wife, Mrs. Jairus would have been a leading citizen as well. She would have been active in charitable and religious organizations, a doer of good deeds. To be active in church and civic organizations is not the same as having a personal and intimate relationship with the Almighty One, however. We don't know what their faith was like, but we do know that they had not found the answer to their great need, and had turned to Jesus. 

With two words, "Child, arise," Jesus healed the little girl and threw her parents completely "out of position". Neither civic nor religious positions, prestige, or community standing mattered beside the miracle they had just seen. They were utterly, totally amazed by what Jesus had done. Only Jesus had the power to raise their daughter from the dead. They would never forget it, and they would never be the same. 

When we experience the divine power of Jesus, we are amazed, but we are also "thrown out of position" because we are never the same again.  Doesn't that have an exciting sound? Never the same again. It implies something new, something fresh, something wonderful. It is what the power of Jesus can do. He makes all things new, including us!  (Rev 21:5)

Have you been "thrown out of position" by the power of God? Have you been utterly amazed by Him?  If not, do what Jairus did. Take your need and your fear to Jesus, offer it to Him without reservation, invite Him to do what only He can do, and wait until He moves. He won't just surprise you, He will transform you!

Waiting for Jesus, part 23: out of the crowd

And as Jesus returned, the people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him. And there came a man named Jairus, and he was an official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus' feet, and began to implore Him to come to his house; for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him. And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, (Luke 8:40-43 NASB)

As you may remember, Jesus had just returned from His exciting boat ride to the Gerasene region, where He healed the Gerasene demoniac. There was a crowd waiting for Him when He returned, and they quickly surrounded Him. Jairus, the synagogue official whose only daughter was dying, and a woman with an incurable hemorrhage were both part of the crowd. Everyone in that crowd was there for a reason. Everyone was there to gain something. Either they were looking for entertainment, hoping to see Jesus do something exciting, or they wanted enlightenment, hoping to learn more of this radical life of love about which He spoke. Some of the people in that crowd were there, however, because they had reached a point of utter hopelessness and needed a divine intervention. They had come because Jesus was the last hope they had left. 

It is not likely that Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage were the only two in the crowd that day with desperate situations. It is not likely that they were the only ones who were hoping for Jesus to help them, yet they are the only two recorded as receiving help from Jesus. Why is that? 

There is something radically different about Jairus and the woman in comparison to the crowd. Jairus and the woman both stepped away from the crowd and toward Jesus. They reached out to Him, admitted their need, and asked Him to help. It is critical to understand this concept. The people who kept their place in the crowd might have been entertained and they might have been informed, but they were not personally transformed by the power of Almighty God. It was only the two, the ones who stepped up to Jesus, who received all they hoped and more. 

This is important for us to understand. If we want all that Jesus longs to give, we cannot stay as just a face in the crowd. We cannot just talk about wanting Him to help. We have to step out of the crowd, step away from the "wanting" crowd, and step up to Jesus. When we step up to Him, however, we are not just receiving. Jairus knelt at Jesus' feet and gave Him his pride and his control. Nothing was held back. He put his dearly loved daughter in the hands of Jesus, and he left her there. 

Once that was done, Jairus walked with Jesus. They walked together toward the solution of his need. Jairus did not just tell Jesus what he needed and go his way. Jairus stayed at Jesus' side. He walked with Him, and it is what we need to do, too. 

At our place of utter hopelessness, we need to do more than dump our trouble at the feet of Jesus. We need to dump ourselves and our life. The old life needs to go in the pile at His feet and we need to begin walking with Jesus in that new life only He can give. Dear ones, Jesus means to transform more than our situations. He means to transform US. What we need to decide is are we willing to be transformed? 

Selah. Pause and consider. 

Why are you a part of the crowd around Jesus? Do you want only a solution or do you want transformation?  Are you willing to put everything at the feet of Jesus, and not just your problem?  Give every bit to Jesus, nothing held back. You will find, like Jairus, that what Jesus does in response is utterly amazing. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/09/lessons-from-battlefield-part-19.html

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WaIting for Jesus, part 22: and so she ate

He, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Child, arise!" And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her to eat. (Luke 8:54-55 NASB)

And so she ate. I'm sure she did, aren't you? Jesus "gave orders for something to be given her to eat".  That wasn't just a random array of words. He sent someone, probably her mother, to get something for her to eat with the expectation that she would eat it. That may not seem remarkable until you remember that this young girl had been terminally ill, had died, Jesus had called her spirit back, and He had brought her to life again. She had had a pretty exciting and difficult time of it. The natural inclination after that would be to prop up the pillows, lie back, and luxuriate in the joyful greetings of friends and loved ones. There would be a tendency to bask in the attention the situation and miracle would bring. 

That was not at all what Jesus intended. He didn't bring her back to life to lie in the bed. He brought her back to life to LIVE, and living would begin by regaining her strength. Regaining her strength would begin with proper nourishment. She had been back to life for just a few minutes and already Jesus was putting her on a "training program". It did not matter that she was not yet twelve years old. Living was what He intended, and living is what she would do. 

The thing we often forget is that LIVING is what Jesus intended for us, as well. He was very clear when He said, "I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) There is nothing about abundant living that involves luxuriating at our ease. The word translated as "abundantly" is  perissos.  Blueletterbible.org describes  perissos as "superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon".  That is exactly the kind of life Jesus came to give us, and it is the life He intends us to live. Imagine that! What Jesus wants us to do is live "superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon" lives, and when we do, our very lives will be like road signs pointing people to Jesus.

Is that the life you are living? Is it the life your loved ones are living? If not, why not? If Jesus came to give you a perissos life, and He did, why not live the way He intended? It all begins with nourishment, and perissos nourishment begins with the word of God. 

Dear ones, have a super extraordinary, surpassingly uncommon day, and do it because that's what Jesus said for you to do! 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/09/lessons-from-battlefield-part-18.html

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On this anniversary of 9/11 pray for those who lost so much in that tragedy but also pray for those who put their lives on the line daily to keep our nation safe from further attack. Pray that the efforts of those who would attack us would be thwarted. 

Waiting for Jesus, part 21: back to reality

He, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Child, arise!" And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her to eat. (Luke 8:54-55 NASB)

Her spirit returned. That means her spirit had left her body. We are not just a jumble of cells. We are physical and spirit, body and soul. In case you have wondered, every human on earth has both a body and a soul, (or spirit). Ultimately, those souls are under the command of Jesus, and one day they will receive direction from Him who cannot be disobeyed. This day, her spirit, just on its way to its eternal destination, was ordered back, and did exactly what it was ordered to do. The spirit returned to the child and she arose. 

This next action of Jesus always makes me laugh. He ordered her some lunch. Well, actually He told them to bring her something to eat. As a physician, when a patient tells me they are "eating better", I take it as a sign of significant improvement. More than likely, encouragement to eat was intended as an indication that her health and her life were restored. She was "real" and not a phantom or a ghost. She wasn't a zombie escaping the grave. She was a real, live girl. Their daughter was back. 

When we have waited through that dark night of our soul for the intervention of God in a desperate and difficult place, it is hard to believe when the answer, the intervention, finally comes. The grace of God is so amazing that it is hard to comprehend.  How do you respond to the truly miraculous? In this instance, apparently, they responded with food for the little girl. Nourishment. 

There are two important lessons from this. First is that, when God restores in a miraculous way, we still have to return to our "regular" lives, with the mundane tasks of living. In this instance, Mrs. Jairus had to leave the site of the miracle and prepare food.  We have to carry on while taking that miracle with us. We return to the routine, but we are to return permanently changed by what God has done. 

Second, when God restores our souls, nourishment should be uppermost on our minds. When Jesus called for food, you can be sure her mother did not bring dessert. She brought the most nourishing food in the house. So we, too, should be providing the most nourishing spiritual food possible for those whose lives have been restored by Christ, and that will come only from the Word of God. 

Perhaps it is a reminder for us as well. Nourishment is vital for both our physical and our spiritual health, and we should choose that nourishment well. What does your spiritual diet include? Do you have a steady diet of Bible study and quiet time with our Lord? There is a place for spiritual books, magazines, websites, and blogs, but nothing should replace the Word of God, the entree of Scripture. Everything else is a side dish or dessert. 

How is your spiritual diet? After her miracle, the girl needed nourishment to carry on, and we do, too. Let's make sure we get the spiritual food we desperately need. 

Waiting for Jesus, part 20: believing until we see

And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died. He, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Child, arise!" And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her to eat. (Luke 8:53-55 NASB)

Poor Jairus. He was a jumble of emotion and must have been near the breaking point. First, there had been the anxiety of his daughter's illness, then the fear when he realized how sick she was, the desperation as he sought healing for her, the rending when he became willing to break with his synagogue and seek help from Jesus. He finally made it to the feet of Jesus only to have a devastating interruption that lingered just a little too long, the heartbreaking news that his daughter had died, the death march to the house with Jesus, and the insanity of Jesus saying a dead daughter was asleep. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 

In the next moment, Jesus reached out His arm, picked up the little girl's limp hand, and spoke the two words Jairus would remember as long as he lived. "Child, arise!"  There was not a moment's hesitation. Immediately, she got up, because when the Son of God says arise, that is exactly what you do. 

Imagine for a moment how Jairus felt when he saw that strong right arm reach out for his daughter's hand, when he head those words calling his daughter back. Did his fear, desperation, or the interruptions along the way matter then? They did not. All that mattered then was that his daughter sat up and opened her eyes. Everything that had happened before faded into unimportance in the light of the work of God. 

The truth is that everything fades in importance in comparison to the work of God, but we often fail to recognize it until that very last moment. Because we lack the omniscience to know the future, all we see is where we've been and where we are. When the movement of God finally comes, it is the most joyful, amazing thing imaginable because we truly could not see it coming. 

We, of course, only want to believe what we see, but Jesus said we were blessed when we believed without seeing. (John 20:29). That's what Jairus did. He believed Jesus could save his daughter long before he saw Jesus save his daughter. When all hope was gone and his daughter was dead, Jairus stayed the course, still waiting on Jesus. In the end, he was so glad he did. 

When we combine obedience to the admonition to "fear not" with the command to "only believe", trusting our Lord to move in our situation of utter hopelessness, we can expect an amazing intervention of God. It may not look like we expect. It may not come when we want it, but when God moves to intervene on our behalf, it will not only be unmistakeable, it will be unforgettable. 

We learned this song as children, but it is no less true today.  

"Trust and obey. 

For there's no other way,

To be happy with Jesus

Than to trust and obey."

(John H Sammis 1887)

Are you in the midst of an utterly hopeless situation? Take your eyes off that situation and focus them on Jesus. Look to Him, trust and obey, and hold firm until His redemption comes. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/09/my-soap-box-politicians.html

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Please continue to pray for those who have linked their lives to the evil of terrorism, that they would be brought out of darkness into light. Pray for those in their path of destruction to remain firm in their faith and to be protected in times of great danger. 

Waiting on Jesus, part 16: believing the unbelievable

While He was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, "Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore." But when Jesus heard this, He answered him, "Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be made well." (Luke 8:49-50 NASB)

"Only believe".  It sounds like it should be easy to do, doesn't it? "Don't  waste any more time being afraid, Jairus. Only believe and she will be made well," Jrsus told Jairus. The woman with the hemorrhage was told her faith was the vital part that brought healing. In this instance, the word used is a little different. The word used here is pisteuō. Translated as "believe", it is more than faith in Jesus as the Son of God. It requires entrusting our concern to Him. 

Until this point, Jairus was in charge of the daughter's healing. He had recruited Jesus and was on the way to a cure. Entrusting the daughter's illness to Jesus meant Jairus was no longer making the decisions. Jesus was in charge and Jairus was submitting to whatever Jesus decided. The girl had died. All hope was gone. Why not entrust the situation to Jesus?  

Why not, indeed? What Jairus found was that, at the end of all hope, Jesus was all he had. As it turned out, Jesus was all he needed. We will soon see the amazing way Jesus dealt with the little girl. At the end, it was worth it to trust Jesus. 

It is no less "worth it" to entrust our utterly hopeless situations to Jesus today. Jesus stands willing to help, willing to show Himself strong on our behalf. There is only one requirement. pisteuō. Entrust our situation to the only One who can intervene. 

Are you struggling with a difficult situation?  Is a loved one's predicament of great concern? Perhaps what is needed is pisteuō, entrusting that problem to Jesus. 

For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His." (2 Chronicles 16:9 NASB)

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/09/lessons-from-battlefield-part-16.html

Waiting on Jesus, part 15:

While He was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, "Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore." But when Jesus heard this, He answered him, "Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be made well." (Luke 8:49-50 NASB)

For the last several days, we have looked at the woman with the hemorrhage. What is easy to forget is that this passage began as a story about Jairus and his dying daughter. Jairus, you may remember, had approached Jesus and asked Him to accompany him to his house to see his only daughter who was near death.  Jesus had immediately started toward the girl. 

In the midst of His going, the woman with the hemorrhage had stopped Jesus by touching the fringe on His robe. She was instantly healed and Jesus had paused to chat with her. Just as He was about to resume His journey with Jairus, news came from the home of Jairus. "Your daughter has died. Stop bothering Jesus and come home."

Selah. Pause and consider this. 

Imagine how Jairus must have felt. He had humbled himself at the feet of Jesus before a crowd of people. He had almost gotten Jesus to his house. Help was so close, but not close enough. If only that woman with the hemorrhage had not stopped Jesus... If only Jesus hadn't stopped to talk to her... If only... Jairus had done all he could humanly do, but it wasn't quite enough, soon enough. If only... 

Just as Jairus was about to collapse with grief, Jesus said a surprising thing. "Do not be afraid any longer. Only believe." Just when it seemed like there was no more need for believing, nothing left to fear, that all hope was gone, Jesus was offering hope. In fact, He was offering an astounding promise. "Stop fearing, keep believing. She will be made well."  When all hope was seemingly gone, Jesus was still able to do more than Jairus could comprehend. 

The girl was dead. Nothing humanly possible could be done. There was not one thing Jairus could do for his daughter. There was nothing he could do, that is, except stop fearing and start trusting. In the midst of utter hopelessness, total failure, a situation beyond redemption, there was still Jesus, and Jesus was all that was needed. 

Do you face a situation of utter hopelessness, total failure, a situation beyond redemption?  When all your hope is gone, when there is no way you can "fix it", stop fearing and keep trusting. Trust Jesus, who can do exceeding abundantly beyond all you can hope or think, (Eph 3:20) and wait for Him to do what only He can do. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/09/lessons-from-battlefield-part-15.html

Waiting on Jesus, part 14:

And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace." (Luke 8:48 NASB)

"Go in peace," Jesus said to the woman who had been healed. Peace. What a beautiful thought! The woman had spent the last twelve years dealing with a hemorrhage, unclean as a result, isolated, alone. Her illness had changed her life, her relationships. It had been costly, and not just financially. She must have had twelve years of grief and inner turmoil. In an instant, she was made well. In an instant, Jesus replaced her turmoil with peace. 

The word translated as "peace" is not shalom, as you might expect. Shalom is usually used to indicate a state of "wholeness" or "at one".  The word used here is eirēnē. This word is more indicative of relationships, and signifies harmony in relationships with God and men. It indicates an inner quiet, free of turmoil, dissension, and strife. 

For a woman who had endured twelve very hard years, during which she had been isolated and become impoverished as a result of the disease, there must have been a tendency toward resentment and anger, if not toward God, then toward those around her. "Let it go," He was saying. Jesus was telling her to leave the resentment, anger, dissension behind. She was not only to go healed, she was to go forth in harmony with all around her. She was to go "in peace".  

His instruction to go in peace indicates a responsibility on her part for the peace. Her healing had come through a well-made choice of faith in Jesus and well-done action to reach out to Him. Her peace would come through an ongoing choice for harmony. 

Those three words, go in peace, sound lovely and simple, don't they? They are simple, but they are also filled with the challenge of a lifetime. How often are you tempted toward disharmony, either toward God or man? Choose peace. There may be disagreements with others, and there are times when standing up for right requires unavoidable conflict. Even in the midst of those difficulties, we can have inner peace. We should have inner peace. 

The words of Jesus for the woman who was healed are words we would do well to heed. Is there anger, dissension, resentment in your heart?  Let it go, and go in peace. 

Pray today that we and our loved ones would be so filled with the harmony of peace that it would spill over to all we meet. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/09/nibbling-on-hay.html

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ISIS has been threatening to behead another journalist, and may well have already done it. Please pray for those in their captivity and their families, those in leadership who need to choose a response to this tyranny, as well as for divine intervention in this situation. 

Waiting on Jesus, part 13: Made Whole

And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace." (Luke 8:48 NASB)

The phrase "has made you well" is a translation of the word sōzō.  This is a lovely term that could also be translated as "made you whole" or "saved you". "Your faith has made you whole." Indeed, that is what faith should do, isn't it? It should bring us to the One who can fix every broken part, every part that is imperfect. It should keep us near to Him until all is restored, made new, made whole.  

For the woman with the hemorrhage, "made whole" was more than a cessation  of her hemorrhage. It included a healing of the isolation of twelve years spent as "unclean".  All the years of loss, frustration, fear, and hurt had left a deep wound, but through her faith, they, too, were made whole. 

Isn't that what God would like to do through our faith?  Isn't that what He will do, if we allow it? Imagine your life "made whole".  What a change He could make if we reached out to Him with faith as the woman did and allowed His power to flow through us! Nothing held back. Nothing off-limits. 

Today, pray that we and our loved ones would stop holding back and give ourselves to the wholeness that only Christ can bring. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/09/lessons-from-battlefield-part-14-one.html

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Waiting on Jesus, part 12:

And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace." (Luke 8:48 NASB)

"Your faith has made you well," He said to the woman. The word translated as "faith" is pistis and indicates a firm conviction of truth. For this woman, her pistis, her faith, in Jesus was so absolute that she could reach out and touch the fringe of His garment with confidence, certain that His power would flow through her, and it did. 

She was not trusting in the power of the fringe. She was trusting in Jesus as the Son of God, Messiah and Savior. In reaching out to Him, she was staking her life, her health, and her eternity on that belief. 

In our culture, there is a temptation to put our trust in ourselves and our ability to be productive.  We want to be "self-made".  Like toddlers, we want to "do it myself".  On the flip side, we also have a tendency to leave government in charge. When the poor have needs, our first thought is of what governmental agency should take responsibility. When we see injustice around the world, we ask not what we should do but what our government will do. 

The faith that transforms lives and brings healing and wholeness is not faith in ourselves nor faith in governmental entities. The faith that transforms is faith in Christ alone. When we reach out to Him in faith, we can be certain His power will flow through us. He will strengthen and empower us. He will make a difference in the world around us. 

In what or whom is our faith?  To what do we cling in times of trouble? In whom have we staked our life as well as our eternity? Be very certain that to which you cling has eternal significance. In Christ alone is our hope and our strength. Be sure He is your source of hope and strength as well. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/lessons-from-battlefield-part-13.html

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Waiting on Jesus, part 11: Stuck like glue

And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. And Jesus said, "Who is the one who touched Me?" And while they were all denying it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You." (Luke 8:43-45 NASB)

haptō. We've seen this word before. It Is translated here as "touched" but it literally means "to adhere to", "to fasten to", or "to kindle a fire".  It is the word used to describe Jesus' healing touch of the leper in Luke 5, the healing, resuscitative touch of Jesus for the boy who had died in Luke 7, and the touch of the woman with the alabaster vial. This is not just a passing brush on the shoulder. This is a life-changing touch that lights a flame in our hearts and connects us to Jesus, adheres us to Jesus, so that we remain with Him. It is a touch we never forget. 

It is how the woman with the hemmorhage touched Jesus.  haptō. It was a momentary touch, lasting just a few seconds, but it changed her life, and likely all in the crowd who heard her story, forever. For the woman, the fire of His power flowed through her and healed her, but that haptō also adhered her heart to Christ. It set her free to tell of the miraculous intervention of Jesus and the healing power of His touch. 

Have you experienced the haptō touch of Christ? Do you know the fire of His love in your heart? Have you encountered the cleansing and healing that haptō can bring? Are you adhered to Him because of that touch? Reach out to Jesus. In less time than you can imagine, that touch can bring healing, hope, and freedom, changing your life forever. Imagine that! The most amazing thing is that it starts with a single touch. 

Pray today that we and our loved ones would reach out and haptō Jesus, adhering our lives to His and allowing Him to do His work in us. 

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Here's the link to last night's post:  http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/lessons-from-battlefield-part-12.html

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Here's the link to the radical obedience/terrorist prayers for the week: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/friday-night-with-friends-radical.html

Waiting on Jesus, part 9: Who Touched Me?

And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. And Jesus said, "Who is the one who touched Me?" And while they were all denying it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You." But Jesus said, "Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me." (Luke 8:43-46 NASB)

The woman with the hemorrhage came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe (or tassels) at the edge of His garment (prayer shawl or tallit). She had been hemorrhaging for twelve years, but, when she touched that fringe, she was instantly healed. Instantly, miraculously healed. It is human nature to attribute healing to anything except God Himself. We could easily think that it was her faith that healed her, the reaching out that healed her, or even "magic tassels" that healed her. 

Lest we deceive ourselves with foolishness, Jesus quickly set things straight. "Who touched Me?" He asked. Peter was so surprised! "Jesus, are You kidding? These people are crowding in here like a bunch of sardines! Everyone is touching You!" "No, Peter," Jesus said. "Someone did touch Me. I could feel power go from Me to them."  With those words, He clarified the source of healing. It had nothing to do with anything good in the woman or anything magical in the tassels. Healing came as a result of he power of God flowing from Jesus to the woman. Healing always comes as a result of the power of God. 

Many people touched Jesus that day. They brushed against Him as they walked along in the crowd, and later, they probably told their friends and family about touching Jesus. There was only one of those touches that resulted in healing, however. Those brushing past had a variety of reasons for being near Jesus. The woman who was healed reached out to Him with the firm hope that His power would change her, and it did. She too touched Jesus that day, and the miraculous result is one we are still celebrating more than two thousand years later. 

For what reason do you touch Jesus? Are you brushing past in the crowd, eager to finish the allotted time? Are you just part of the crowd, enjoying the show? Are you reaching out to Him with a desperate need to be changed? Just as He did that day long ago, Jesus knows the purpose of your contact. He knows why you are there, and He knows when the power flows. 

Pray today that our motivations (and those of our loved ones) for attending church services and going about the routines of our faith would be pure and that we would desire to be changed into the image of Christ so that we could be made whole. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/lessons-from-battlefield-grateful-heart.html

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Please pray for our precious brothers and sisters in Nigeria who are struggling because of the tyranny of Boko Haram and their persecution of Christians. Do not forget that they are allies of ISIS (Islamic State).   

Waiting for Jesus, part 8: Prayer of Abandon

And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. And Jesus said, "Who is the one who touched Me?" And while they were all denying it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You." (Luke 8:43-45 NASB)

Jairus fell at the feet of Jesus and begged Him to go with him to his house to see his dying daughter.  Jesus immediately responded by heading in that direction. It took faith for Jairus, the synagogue official, to fall at His feet in the presence of a crowd, and it took faith to ask Jesus to see his daughter and heal her. There was nothing at all wrong about his faith, nor about his asking. 

The woman with the hemorrhage also acted in faith. She, too, had a great need and she, too, took her need to Jesus. There is something about this quiet reaching for Him from behind that demonstrates a beautiful desperation. It is reminiscent of the woman with the alabaster vial who also worshipped "from behind" and was an act that said,  "I need the touch of God, whatever that may bring."  There is no doubt that she reached out to Jesus with the hope of healing, no doubt that she touched His fringe because of the symbolic authority and divine power it represented. It seems, though, that she simply brought her need to Jesus, without bringing a preconceived solution for Jesus to fulfill.  She wanted whatever resulted from touching the fringe of His garment. Her reaching out was, in its essence, the prayer that never fails. It was simply, "Thy will be done."

"Thy will be done" is an agonizingly difficult prayer for us. We are trained by our culture to place our order at the window and get that order fulfilled in a near-instant. In many ways, that behavior has made its way into our prayer life.  We have a tendency to place our "prayer order" with God and expect that order to be quickly filled. How incredibly arrogant is that? God must shake His head in wonder at our foolishness. 

How much better it would be if we simply  reached out to our Lord, offered Him our need, and submitted to His will!  We could be assured of having His perfect will every time, rather than our own. We could be certain of God's promises at work in our lives.

For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 NASB)

There is a place for specific prayer. It helps us to see God's hand at work and easily recognize His answers to our prayers. Specific prayers are a vital part of our faith walk, but there must also be the prayers of utter abandon that say to God, "Your will, and not mine, be done."

Two people brought their needs to Jesus.   Jairus came with a great need and a specific solution in mind. The woman with the hemorrhage also came with a great need, but she left the manner of answering her prayer up to Jesus. Both prayers were answered that day, but only one was answered instantly. As the woman touched the fringe of His garment, the power of God flowed through her and healed her completely. 

Perhaps you, too, have a great need with a long-delayed solution. Isn't it time to take that need to Jesus with utter abandon? Ask Him to intervene in your situation in whatever way He sees best. No suggestions for God. No preconceived solutions. Ask for God's will. It's the only way to be sure you get His best.  

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/lessons-from-battlefield-law-versus.html

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Please pray for our precious brothers and sisters in Nigeria who are struggling because of the tyranny of Boko Haram and their persecution of Christians. Do not forget that they are allies of ISIS (Islamic State).   

Waiting for Jesus, part 7: not just Jairus

And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, (Luke 8:43 NASB)

It was not just Jairus who needed a miracle that day. Jairus was the one with position, authority, power and money. He was the visible and socially acceptable one in need. There was also a woman there that day who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years. As a result, she was almost certainly anemic and physically exhausted. She must have felt as if she could barely put one foot in front of the other. To make matters worse, she had spent all the money she had seeking a cure, but no one could help. Exhausted, destitute, hopeless, she, too, needed a miracle.  

Because she was unclean, she did not dare to approach Jesus openly. To state it plainly, she sneaked up behind Jesus, hoping to secretly gain a miracle by touching the fringe of his robe. That "fringe" was a specific type of knotted threads, or tassels, positioned at the corners of his prayer shawl (tallit) that were highly symbolic of both the law of God and the name of God. In touching that fringe, she was symbolically touching the Divine, the power of God. 

This woman had no position, authority, power, or money. She barely had the strength to join the crowd, yet her need for a miracle was equally as great as the need of Jairus. More importantly, the compassion of Jesus toward her was equally as great as His compassion toward the need of Jairus. Her lack of importance in the eyes of the crowd did not affect her importance in the eyes of God one little bit. He loved her. She was as much a child of God as Jairus, and her Lord had time for her. He had time for her need. 

God had time for her, and He has time for our needs, as well. 

Selah. 

Pause and consider this great truth. Once again, we see the principle of greatest and least. Jairus was the greatest and the woman with the hemorrhage was the least, yet Jesus loved them both and willingly gave miraculous healing to them both.  Dear ones, even the least of us can count on our Lord for compassion, love, and ever-present help in time of trouble.  

Are you overwhelmed by your circumstances? Do you feel like a pariah, an outcast, because of those circumstances?  Our Lord has no less love for you, no less compassion toward you, no less willingness to help. It is not necessary to approach Him "from behind".  Take your needs to the feet of Jesus and allow Him to do with them as He will. 

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; (Psalms 46:1-2 NASB)

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Link to last night's post:  http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/lessons-from-battlefield-cooperation.html

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Please pray for our precious brothers and sisters in Nigeria who are struggling because of the tyranny of Boko Haram and their persecution of Christians. Do not forget that they are allies of ISIS (Islamic State).   

Waiting for Jesus, part 5: distractions

for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him. And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. (Luke 8:42-44 NASB)

Jairus had an emergency. That's all you could call it. His only daughter was dying and wouldn't last long. He had finally had the courage to come to Jesus, and the Master was on His way, but if they didn't hurry, it would be too late!  He knew she would not last long. How frightening it must have been to see the crowd pressing in on Jesus. They would surely slow them down. "We are not going to make it!" he must have feared. Jairus probably wanted to howl in frustration and push people away. 

Jesus, however, would not be hurried. Every person along His path mattered to Him. Before they reached Jairus' house, He would stop for someone else in need, seemingly delaying the miracle Jairus longed to see, and making the healing of his daughter increasingly more unlikely. 

God's timing is never ours, is it? We want Him to intervene now, to make our situation better now, to ease the suffering now. Because God is omnipresent in time, the same yesterday, today, and forever, He operates on eternal time, not mortal time. What seems like a delay to us may be just another opportunity for God to demonstrate His great mercy, His great power. Sometimes, the delay is designed to teach us patience, waiting, faith, none of which can be learned by instant intervention. 

There are times, however, when God is orchestrating a solution so finely tuned that delay is needed to bring about a greater result, to bring Him greater glory. Those times are always worth the wait, but oh how difficult that waiting can seem! That's the kind of waiting Jairus had, and it was terrible to him. His daughter's life, his greatly loved daughter's life, hung by a slender thread and time was running out. 

Are you waiting for divine intervention? Does it seem that God is slow in answering your prayers, in meeting your need?  Peter was writing about the second coming of Christ, but his words are equally applicable here. 

But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8-9 NASB)

He has a plan. It is for good and not evil. He will not be thwarted. Trust Him, no matter how long it takes. 

Pray today that we and our loved ones would wait for God to move rather than trying to take matters into our own hands. Pray that we would wait for God's perfect provision. 

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Link to last night's tiny post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/haiku-1.html

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Please continue to pray about the terrorists and for them, protection for the persecuted church, and those who are at great risk on a daily basis. 

Waiting for Jesus, part 4: The mustard seed of faith

And there came a man named Jairus, and he was an official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus' feet, and began to implore Him to come to his house; for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him. (Luke 8:41-42 NASB)

In the previous post, we looked at the request of Jairus. Today, we look at the faith that brought Jairus to his request. 

Jairus, the unlikely beseecher, had come to Jesus in desperation. He had one daughter, not yet a teenager, and he loved her with all his heart. She was sick and clearly dying. He had watched as long as he could stand it. Undoubtedly, the doctors of the time had tried to help without success. Almost certainly, Jairus had tried every possible remedy, prayed every possible prayer, made every possible sacrifice. Jairus had done all he could do, and she was still dying. He had failed to save his dearly loved daughter. 

How do we know this? He was a father who loved his daughter. He had position and likely wealth, as well. His daughter had been sick and now she was dying. A loving father would have been seeking remedies from the time she became seriously ill, and he had the resources to procure the help she needed. It turned out that there was not enough money to save her. 

It is likely that Jesus was his last hope. She was already dying, and very near death when he approached Jesus, but he approached Him with faith. "Come. We need you. She will die without You," was the essence of his request. He might have come to Jesus with the very last bit of hope he had left, his last grain of faith, but it was enough. 

And He said to them, "...if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. (Matthew 17:20 NASB)

That mustard seed of faith in Jairus was enough. It was enough to take him to the feet of Jesus, enough to voice his need, enough to call on Jesus for help. It was enough. Everything else depended on Jesus, and He is always enough. 

Are you in a desperate situation?  Have you tried everything at your disposal without success? Are you down to the last shred of hope? Your last mustard seed of faith? What a perfect place to be!   Stop striving and take your situation with your mustard seed of faith to Jesus. "Come. We need you. We are lost without you." That little mustard-seed-prayer of Jairus was enough, and Jesus responded with action. Immediately, He was on his way, and He will respond to your mustard-seed-prayer, as well. 

Take your need to Jesus. He is always enough. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/tillas-tail-or-angel-named-anna-by-dr.html

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Please continue to pray about the atrocities being committed around the world by radical jihadists and for those who face persecution and death on a daily basis. Pray for those who will be forced to recant their faith or die today. Pray, too, that, when that same persecution comes to our country, (and it will) we will be as brave and faithful as our brothers and sisters around the world. 

Waiting for Jesus, part 2: waiting and expecting

And as Jesus returned, the people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him. (Luke 8:40 NASB)

The people had been waiting for Jesus. That sounds a little like a bored crowd just milling about. The original language makes it sound a little different, though. The word translated as "waiting" is prosdokaō and it can also be translated as "expecting".  The crowd was not just milling aimlessly about. They were waiting with expectation because they knew without doubt that, when Jesus arrived, He would do something. 

They were not waiting for nothing. They were waiting for the Son of God who always "did something".  The crowd knew that He had the words of life that could help them face the trials of life, but they also knew that He had the power to intervene in those trials. Jesus could make a difference, and that was what they were expecting as they waited. 

Is that the way we wait?  Do we take the trials of life to our Lord with the expectation that He will move? Do we pray with the firm assurance that our Lord will move in our situation or just hope that "maybe he might"?  There is a vast difference, and the difference is a question of faith. Do we believe that Jesus will "do something" or not?  The answer to that question is critical and reveals much about our relationship with God. 

If we believe what we say we do, then we must also believe that God can intervene in miraculous ways. We must also believe that He who knows the number of hairs on our head cares about more than our hair. He cares about us, and about what affects us. Dear ones, take the burdens, the fears, the trials of life to Jesus, and leave them there with prosdokaō, trusting that He can help and He will help. 

Wait for Jesus, and do it with great anticipation!

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Link to last night's post is here: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/lessons-from-battlefield-young-hezekiah.html

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Please continue to pray about the atrocities being committed around the world by radical jihadists and for those who face persecution and death on a daily basis. Pray for those who will be forced to recant their faith or die today. Pray, too, that, when that same persecution comes to our country, (and it will) we will be as brave and faithful as our brothers and sisters around the world. 

Waiting for Jesus, part 1: The Happy Crowd

And as Jesus returned, the people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him. (Luke 8:40 NASB)

In the preceding passage, Jesus had taken an exciting boat ride with His disciples, had encountered a terrifying and near-deadly storm, which He had quieted with a word, and had set the Gerasene demoniac free. Along the way, it appears, the disciples had quietly left Jesus to His work and headed back home. 

At last, He returned from his journey to find a crowd of people who had been waiting and watching for Him. We will soon see that some of those people were in desperate straits. A father was waiting for a miracle for his daughter, who was near death. A woman was gravely ill, and she too was quietly but desperately waiting for a miracle. What is clear is that both the father and the sick woman, despite their great need, were waiting for Jesus. They were not running around the countryside seeking any possible solution. They were waiting for the only One who could help. 

What faith they must have had! In the midst of their need, they recognized the One who could help, understood that there was no point at which their situation would become too difficult for Jesus, and they ceased striving and waited for God to move. The approach of the boat in which Jesus was traveling must have been a joyous sight! Jesus was almost there!

How easy it is to recognize our need for divine intervention but how difficult to wait for that intervention to come!  Our natural tendency is to take some kind of action, to "do something". In our fast-food, instant gratification culture, a willingness to wait has become rare, but it is a precious virtue. 

Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:31 NASB)

It is the ones who are willing to wait who gain new strength, not those who rush about with despair. 

What about you? Do you have a need that only God can meet? Give it to the only One who can help and wait for His answer. Wait patiently for Him. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/lessons-from-battlefield-failed-father.html

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The intent was to have a different terrorist group for which to pray this week, however the ongoing atrocities from ISIS/ISIL/IS demand that we continue to pray for divine intervention. There is not only an urgent need for transformation for them, but also an urgent need to pray for protection of those targeted by these radical jihadists and an end to their reign of terror.

 Their leader is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. To learn more about them and their goal of spreading radical jihad and sharia rule throughout the world, click here: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/radical-obedience-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi.html

Excitement in the boat, part 30: seeing is believing

The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. (Luke 8:35 NASB)

Jesus had cast the demons out of the man, they had gone into the pigs, the herd had plummeted over the cliff into the sea, and drowned. The astonished pig herders ran away as fast as they could. They wanted no part of this, and reported the events to everyone who would listen. Of course, the story was so wild that, like we are prone to do, the hearers wanted to see for themselves and headed out. 

What they saw was so dramatic and so incredible that they were frightened. The former wild man was sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, sane, and learning to be a disciple. They had never seen anything so dramatic, so convincing. There was no doubt in their minds that Jesus was responsible for these events. 

When people look at us, especially in light of recent time spent with Jesus, what do they see?  Do they see a heart and life that is radically different because of Him? Does our life leave no doubt that Jesus is our Redeemer? Does the power of our unspoken testimony leave people amazed at the power of God at work in our lives?

Pray today for such abandon to our Lord that all will see the evidence of His work in our lives, as well as those of our loved ones, that they will be drawn to the Lord. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/lessons-from-battlefield-jotham-not.html

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The intent was to have a different terrorist group for which to pray this week, however the ongoing atrocities from ISIS/ISIL/IS demand that we continue to pray for divine intervention. There is not only an urgent need for transformation for them, but also an urgent need to pray for protection of those targeted by these radical jihadists. 

 Their leader is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. To learn more about them and their goal of spreading radical jihad and sharia rule throughout the world, click here: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/radical-obedience-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi.html

Excitement in the Boat, part 29: The Name

And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. (Luke 8:30 NASB)

When the demoniac met Jesus, he fell at His feet. Jesus looked down and said, "What is your name?"  The man answered, "Legion".  Of course, that wasn't the name his parents had given him. It wasn't the name by which God called him. It was actually a word that described his demon-controlled life. He had lived that life for so many years that he had become known by it. He identified with it. It was "who he was" in a terrible, sad sense, at least in his own mind. 

One of the unfortunate things about being held captive by forces other than our Lord is that we find it so hard to break free. Our failure to break free is often interpreted as an inability to be free, and that translates (in our minds) into the idea that we cannot be free. Before we realize what is happening, we begin to identify with our bondage and think, "This is who I am."  What we so often forget is that the things we do are not necessarily the things God intended for us, nor how He sees us. It is not necessarily how He intends to leave us, either. 

On this blessed day, Jesus looked down at this man and said, in essence, "Legion? No that's not who you are. I'm going to remove that and you will be a brand new man. You are about to be the man you were born to be." And so it was. With a word, the Legion was gone, the man was freed, and he was, in a spiritual sense, reborn. He had much to learn about staying free and serving his Redeener, but he was free indeed. 

How does this translate to our lives?  Look at your own life for a moment. What is the thing to which you go back, over and over? For some, it will be bigotry, a critical spirit, gossip. For others, it will be anything from gluttony to sexual sin to fiscal irresponsibility. Just because you do not have the power to break free from that which controls you, from that which is killing you, does not mean that our God lacks power to set you free. He does not. 

Even in his demon-controlled state, this man was able to take the first vital step to freedom, and so can we. He fell at the feet of Jesus, and let Him take it from there. It was an act of absolute surrender, and it was the one thing that had been missing. Neither chains nor shackles could contain him, but one word from God could set him free, and it can do the same for you.  

Today, pray that we and our loved ones will fall at the feet of Jesus in total surrender of who we have become and allow Him to transform us into who we were created to be. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/lessons-from-battlefield-part-5-uzziah.html

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Our terrorist/terror group of the week is the former ISIS, now the Islamic State. Their leader is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. To learn more about them and their goal of spreading radical jihad and sharia rule throughout the world, click here: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/radical-obedience-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi.html