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 Well: Our Response to the Knock on the Door

"Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. You, too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect." (Luke 12: 35-40 NASB)

Our Waiting Well series began a with a post on serving faithfully, followed by keeping our lamps lit. Yesterday, we looked at waiting for the bridegroom to return from the marriage feast. Today we turn to our response when the Master knocks.

Jesus said we are to be ready for His return in the same way that servants wait for their master to return from the wedding feast. They are dressed, awake, and alert. The house is secured, the doors locked to protect what is inside. 

At the moment the master knocks, the waiting servants fling open the door immediately. Without a second of delay, they welcome Him home because they have been waiting with eager expectation.

We are to be waiting for the return of Christ with that same eager expectation, ready to receive Him with open arms, open hearts, and open doors. 

We look forward to Christ's return because we love Him, because He is the bridegroom for His church and we belong to Him. We are His and He is ours. He is the one our heart most desires, and we look forward to seeing Him, just as we would a long-delayed but much-loved relative.

One day, the trumpets will blow, the sky will split, and King Jesus will appear. It will be a glorious day. 

The King is coming. Be ready.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NASB (1)

(1) http://bible.com/100/1th.4.16-17.nasb

~~~~~~~

Our Father, Thank you for sending Jesus to save sinners like me. Thank you that He is coming again. Create in me a clean, ready heart, eager to meet my Lord. Help me to stay ready. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.

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. 

-------

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

-------

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! 

-------

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

-------

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. 

-------

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

-------

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 18: who to trust

When He came to the house, He did not allow anyone to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl's father and mother. Now they were all weeping and lamenting for her; but He said, "Stop weeping, for she has not died, but is asleep." And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died. (Luke 8:51-53 NASB)

As they entered the house, everyone was crying and mourning the girl's death. It was a typical death bed scene, with brokenhearted parents, grieving friends and family. The death was so tragic that even the crowd outside was moved. 

Jesus, however, looked at all the crying people and said what seemed harsh and callous. "Stop crying, people. She's not really dead. She's just asleep."  Jairus and his wife looked at Him and they were, at the least, surprised by His words. What in this world was He thinking? Experts had seen the girl. It was obvious she wasn't breathing. Of course she was dead! His words were so ludicrous that everyone started laughing. They didn't know what Jesus was thinking, saying something so crazy. They knew she was dead. Everyone knew she was dead. The experts (the doctors) knew she was dead. Everyone knew that hope was gone. Everyone, it seemed, but Jesus. 

This is a critical juncture in Jairus' journey of faith. On the one hand, people he trusted and considered reliable said his daughter was dead. On the other hand, Jesus said his daughter was not dead, but only sleeping. Who was He going to believe? 

Jairus didn't know what to do, so he did the only sensible thing. He kept still and waited to see what God would do. We will soon see that, in the face of conflicting opinions, the only opinion that matters is that of Christ. The only words that matter, are the Words of God. 

What about your life? Are people telling you all hope is gone? Are they laughing at your hope in Jesus? Trust anyway. Wait anyway. The end has come only when God says it has come. 

As you pray for friends and loved ones, as you consider those difficult circumstances in life, remember that there is only One who sees the beginning and end. Only our triune God knows what the ultimate outcome will be. The outcome you expect may be completely different from the one He has planned, but one thing is certain. His ending is worth waiting to see. 

-------

Link to last night's post is here:

http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/09/lesson-from-battlefield-part-17-way-to.html

-------

Please pray for the people of Nigeria, particularly the Borno state, as Boko Haram continues their merciless effort to conquer their country. 

Waiting for Jesus, part 19: Stay or Go?

Now they were all weeping and lamenting for her; but He said, "Stop weeping, for she has not died, but is asleep." And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died. He, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Child, arise!" (Luke 8:52-54 NASB)

At that moment when Jesus was thinning the crowd, Jairus and his wife could not know for sure what Jesus would do, nor how He would do it. The only thing they knew for sure was that He was likely to do something, and by their presence, they consented to His way. 

When He started talking about their dead daughter still being alive, they laughed along with everyone else. Just sleeping? No, they didn't believe that. On the other hand, Jesus was there and there was never any telling what He would do next. It was a crossroads of faith for Jairus and his wife. They could wait to see what Jesus would do, or join the other mourners. They stayed. 

That staying may not seem profound to us, but it was a very powerful statement of faith. We want to be in charge, make decisions, make things happen. As humans, we've been making decisions, and often bad ones, since the Garden of Eden. Jairus, however, made a wonderful and wise decision that day. When Jesus appeared to be speaking nonsense, when He made no sense at all, Jairus stood still and stayed to see what Jesus would do. In that staying, he was saying, "I believe He can. I believe Jesus will do something, and that something will be good."

At the intersection of utter hopelessness and the intervention of God, there should be a big red sign. Stop. Selah. Pause and consider. Hold right there until your next move is clear. Be still until you can clearly see which direction to go. 

When Jesus picked up that little girl's hand and started speaking, Jairus knew without a doubt he had made the right choice. When God's deliverance comes, the wisdom of staying is always clear. It is in those moments just before His intervention that we have the greatest risk and greatest likelihood of moving on our own, making a terrible decision, and missing the most exciting moment of our lives. 

Be still dear ones. Do not rush ahead. There is something to learn at that crossroads of faith, and it is something that will change your life and your faith forever. Can you trust Jesus?  Yes, you can. Can you wait for Him to move? Yes, you can. You can, that is, if you will, and if you wait for Jesus instead of taking matters into your own hands, you will find that it was the best decision of your life. 

Wait for Jesus. You will be so glad you did. 

-------

Here's the link to last night's post:  http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/09/getting-ready-for-christmas.html

Waiting on Jesus, part 10: the Power of the Telling

But Jesus said, "Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me." When the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed. And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace." (Luke 8:46-48 NASB)

The woman had been sick for years. She'd tried cure after cure, only to realize that they took her money without helping her at all. Her family and everyone who loved her had given up hope. Healing would not come by mere human hands. That was obvious from the fortune that had been spent trying to be healed. 

She might be down to the last hope, but she wasn't quite ready to give up yet.

Jesus, however, had raised the dead, given sight to the blind, wholeness to the lame. Jesus was not just a man. He was filled with the power of God. He was God made flesh. Jesus could heal her; she was sure of it. 

It was her intent to escape notice. This woman who had spent the last twelve years unclean because of her hemorrhaging must have planned her move so carefully. She was going to slip into the crowd, move up behind Jesus, touch His fringe, receive healing, and slip away. No one would ever know. Even if she accidentally touched them in the crowd, even if she made them unclean by her touch, they wouldn't have to know, would they? She had suffered enough, and she was going to try. 

When she touched the fringe, it was like a hot wave moving through her. She knew something was happening. She knew she was healed. No doubt about it. She wanted to shout for joy, but she had been unclean so long that she knew better. She was going to slip away as quickly as possible. 

Then, Jesus spoke. "Who touched Me?" He asked. Her heart began to sink. What would happen next? She knew she was healed. Would He take it away? Would those she brushed against turn on her because she had touched them? She was shaking like a leaf as she fell at the feet of Jesus. "Me. It was me," she confessed. When she looked up, those eyes full of compassion and love met hers and she lifted her head and began to speak. A hush fell over the crowd as she told her story for all to hear. She spoke of her illness, all the failed attempts at healing, her hope that Jesus could make her whole, and the miracle of healing she had experienced. 

She told it all and everyone heard her. Her body was healed when she touched that fringe, but in that instant of telling, her spirit was healed as well.  At the feet of Jesus there was no condemnation. All she found there was an outpouring of grace, mercy, and love. She had told a crowd about her healing. After that, she could tell anyone. Everyone. 

When hope and help were gone, all that remained was Jesus. It turned out that He was all she needed. 

Are you in a weary place, desperate for circumstances to change? Take your need to Jesus and let Him do what only He can do, in whatever way He sees fit. With a heart filled with gratitude, tell your story of grace to all who will listen. 

-------

Link to last night's post is here and includes our prayer guide for the persecuted church: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/friday-night-with-friends-radical.html

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.  

-------

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

-------

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)

-------

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

-------

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 6: divine delay.

...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 was desperate for Jesus to intervene on behalf of his daughter. Her life hung in the balance, and she was fading fast, but Jesus was on His way. Help would be there soon. 

The crowd was terrible. Everyone was pushing and pressing, trying to get next to Jesus. Before Jairus knew it, a sick woman, an unclean woman, was next to Jesus. No one talked about her problem. It was not a topic for polite conversation, but they all knew she was unclean. She had a sickness and had been unclean for twelve years. She hated her twelve-year-old sickness as much as Jairus loved his almost twelve-year-old daughter. 

The immediate problem with this woman in the crowd, Jairus knew, was that she had a hemorrhage. The law was clear about this kind of bleeding. She was unclean until seven days after it stopped. Even worse, if someone touched her, they became unclean until evening. 

'Now if a woman has a discharge of her blood many days, not at the period of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond that period, all the days of her impure discharge she shall continue as though in her menstrual impurity; she is unclean. (Leviticus 15:25 NASB)

Jairus must have watched in horror as this woman, this unclean woman, reached out for Jesus. She was just about to make Jesus unclean until evening! Unclean, just when Jairus needed a miracle. What Jairus didn't realize yet was that Jesus could make all things clean, make all illness whole. 

Those divine delays are so frightening and so frustrating, aren't they?  When we desperately need a miracle, the last thing we want is a delay. We want instant miracles, don't we?  In our desperation, we can easily lose our compassion and concern for others around us who also need a miracle. Our need is always greatest, at least to us, isn't it?  

From the moment that Jairus laid his need at the feet of Jesus, a miracle of divine intervention was unfolding. Jesus didn't forget about Jairus or his daughter when He stopped for the woman with the hemorrhage. Their divine intervention was still unfolding. The problem for Jairus was that the stop for the woman was not on his personal agenda. 

What about us? Are we in need of divine intervention? Do we need God to do something now? Have we become desperate about His "delay"?  If we could only see that "delay" the way God sees it, perhaps it would give us hope by demonstrating the great power about to be directed toward our own problem. Perhaps it would be cause for rejoicing. 

Take hope, dear ones. There is quite enough God, quite enough power, to handle the problems of others as well as your own crisis. Once you have relinquished your need to Jesus, leave it in His capable hands. He may not move when you want, but He's always right on time. He will not forget you, nor abandon you. 

Pray today for a heart that sees the needs around us as God sees them, and the faith to wait on a God until His answer is complete. 

-------

Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/lessons-from-battlefield-young-hezekiah_25.html

-------

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. 

-------

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

-------

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. 

-------

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

-------

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 3: Jairus

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)

Jairus was one of the people who had been waiting for Jesus. His name means "whom God enlightens" and that was exactly what had happened. He was a synagogue official, a part of the religious  bureaucracy, most of whom had opposed Jesus as a heretic. The word translated as official indicates that he was likely a chief official. He was part of the religious hierarchy.  Coming to Jesus would not be popular with his fellow officials. Falling at His feet would be shocking to them, and could well put his position of authority in jeopardy. 

Jairus, however, had an urgent need and realized that Jesus was the only one who could meet it. He didn't care who was shocked. His twelve year old daughter was gravely ill and near death. No one could save her. No one, that is, but Jesus.  When He returned from the Gerasenes, Jairus was quick to meet Him. Falling at the feet of Jesus, Jairus began to beg Him to come to his house to help his daughter. Jesus, ever compassionate and kind, did not refuse this heartsick father. He headed out. 

We will soon see the exciting events that surrounded Jairus and his daughter but, for today, let's look at Jairus and his request. He had a need, only Jesus could meet it, and in his desperation, he laid on the ground, in the dirt, and gave his need to Jesus. He begged Jesus for help. There is no indication that he ever doubted whether Jesus could help, nor that he ever doubted if Jesus would help. 

Jairus did not have a shopping list of interventions he recommended to Jesus. All he did was state his need (the ailing daughter) and invite Jesus into that need. (to go to his house).  He left the choice of intervention to Jesus, and it was a good thing he did. When Jairus approached Jesus, he wanted healing for his daughter. By the time Jesus arrived, what he needed was resuscitation for her. Jesus wisely gave him what he needed, not what he thought he wanted. In the end, Jairus would receive so much more by leaving the choice to Jesus. 

When we have situations beyond our control, is this what we do? Do we get on the floor at Jesus' feet and invite Him in to our situation, abandoning ourselves to His intervention? Do we leave the choice of intervention to Him or offer a list of things He needs to get done on our behalf?  There is a place for specific requests, but perhaps we could see even greater miracles if we left the choice of intervention to Jesus. 

Are you facing a difficult situation? Is a loved one in a desperate situation? Perhaps what is needed is a Jairus-type encounter with Jesus. Put your need at the feet of Jesus and allow Him to intervene as He sees fit. You, like Jairus, will be glad you did. 

-------

Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/friday-night-with-friends-checking.html

-------

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!

-------

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

-----

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. 

-------

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

-------

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