I can’t be the only one. Sometimes, I get caught up in the timetable of my life. I get frustrated that my personal goals seem too large or this struggle isn’t ending fast enough, but the word of God still speaks in the midst of this. Whenever I go to God during these moments, he reassures me in His presence and by His word. I’m going to share with you three lessons I grasped for the moments like this that caused me to panic. When it looks like something is not going my way, or it looks like it’s not happening at all. We’re talking about Jarius tonight, the man who came to Jesus to heal his daughter, but she died while they were on the way there. Of course, we know how the story ends, Jesus healed Jarius’s daughter, and she got up from her “sleep,” as Jesus called it. But what about you? Have you gone to Jesus about something you want or need, and it feels like it’s dying as you wait? I know what that’s like, so let’s talk about it—three lessons from Jarius’s story.
Keep walking home. Jarius had the faith to come to Jesus, but he also had the faith to continue once he heard his daughter died. I can imagine the stabbing pain in his gut and his riddled mind as he continued to walk home with Jesus. Yet, he maintained trust in Jesus. When you have a moment of fear, hopelessness, or frustration, I want you to ask yourself, “have I stopped walking home?” Despite the circumstance, Jarius still walked home. I’m sure he felt all the emotions, but he still walked home. What does that mean? It means that he still acted on account of his faith. When I’ve gotten overwhelmed with worry and disbelief, I am not in a place where I can move forward. I am wallowing; I’m focused on the current problem and not the next step. Jarius could probably only think about his daughter, but he took the next step closest to what he desperately needed. Even in the middle of his circumstance, the best he could have done was walk home with Jesus. What is the best next step you can take in faith towards whatever you desperately need?
Monitor your response. When Jesus arrived at Jarius’s house, people were weeping and wailing at the death of Jarius’s daughter. Jesus put them out. In this culture, it was the practice to hire weepers and wailers, so I imagine they were not family. But, imagine this in the modern day. Jesus comes to your cousin’s wake and kicks out your crying auntie – the amount of anger you’d feel at Jesus’ insensitivity. But this is how you must be with your overwhelming emotion because sometimes those very emotions are what leads us into the death of what God wants to perform a miracle in. How many times has fear stopped you from taking a step? How many dreams have depression crushed? How many families has resentment torn apart? Pay attention to what you feel as you respond to the difficult things of life. It’s ok to feel, but it goes too far once your emotions begin to lead you. If I’m honest, when I go to the Lord with my frustration, I have often allowed my feelings to work me up to that point of frustration. I have allowed the fear I’m feeling to fill me with disbelief, even to the point I’ve gotten angry with God. But maturing in God is the ability to check your emotions and kick out what doesn’t align with what God is doing.
Pick the right ones. We’ve heard many reasons why Jesus kicked everyone out of the house who did not believe when he performed the miracle for Jarius’s daughter. We’ve heard why Jesus chose to take Peter, James, and John out of the 12 disciples to perform the miracle on Jarius’s daughter. I agree with most interpretations that the miracle would be done as a matter of faith. But now that we know this, what do we do with this information? We evaluate the people in our lives according to their measure of faith. Not so we can remove them from our lives, but so we can accurately determine where they fit. Some people I don’t talk to about my goals because they don’t have the capacity to believe with me or encourage me but may support me perfectly in other areas. It is up to you to determine who can speak into all areas of your life or only spaces they fit. Choose the right people.
I am keeping this brief. I feel like there’s so much I could say. I want to encourage you. If you are in a place of uncertainty, frustration – whatever it is. Know that the word of God is full of examples of circumstances that should not have worked out. There are people alive today who testify to what God has done for them. Don’t get in your own way by allowing people or your emotions to deter you from faith. Keep pressing toward God in faith, believing it will work for your good.
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