Just Believe

 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

— Mark 5:35-36

Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King,

I know that you bring the dead back to life. You touch the physically dead and they return to life. You breathe into the spiritually dead and they come alive. You speak to dead dreams and restore my vision. You point at the impossible and say, "Don't be afraid; just believe."

Yesterday, I looked at something seemingly impossible, or perhaps highly improbable. The magnitude, the risk, and the cost of this improbable project is immense. Therefore it is easy to walk away from it and say, "That's too much." But, something is nagging at me wondering, "What if?" What if you have a different opinion?

Jairus wondered, "what if?" His daughter was sick and dying. He found you, Jesus, and pleaded earnestly. You went with him. And when the bad news came that his daughter was now dead, you said, "Don't be afraid; just believe."

Fear and faith cannot coexist. Before I can believe with faith, my fear and doubt must stay out. I need to lay my fears and doubts outside the door, drop them at your feet, and leave them there. When all evidence points to the contrary, I must just believe the word you have spoken to me, trust that you are walking with me toward your miracle answer, and refuse to pick up my fear and doubt again.

Lord Jesus, I am willing to just believe. Today I ask for a clear word from You regarding what appears to be impossible to me. I want Your opinion about the facts in front of me. I want Your interpretation of the evidence presented. I choose today to not be afraid of an impossible situation and I will just believe.

— In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

No Retaliation

 "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." — 1 Peter 2:21-23 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, Thank you for leaving me an example of how to respond when I am verbally chastised, insulted, and torn down. You did not retaliate. No deceit was found in Your mouth. When You suffered, You made no threats. Instead You entrusted Yourself to the Father who judges Your accusers justly. Yesterday, a respected young man named Charlie Kirk, 31, who stood for righteousness and civil discourse was assassinated while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Charlie Kirk has consistently been one of the calmest and most polite among us. He listened to questions from his o...
Read more

Suffering

 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. — Romans 5:3-4 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, We glory in our sufferings. The word Paul uses here means to "glory in a thing", "to boast", "to rejoice." He's contrasting his previous thought that we boast or rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. We rejoice in our hope of God and  we rejoice in our sufferings. The picture forming in my mind is lifting hands, shouting with joy, as I rejoice in God and then doing the same thing in the midst of my suffering. Yeah. I don't do that. I don't rejoice when suffering comes. I do the opposite. I complain. I sulk. I moan. I am irritated. I am angry. I am resentful. But do I rejoice? No. Yet this is the very thing Paul says we are to do. And it's because of the incredible fruitfulness our suffering brings. Suffering produces perseverance....
Read more

Faithful Stewards

 "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." — 1 Peter 4:8-11 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, This is the second time Peter instructs believers to love one another deeply, fervently. Our love for one another overlooks small offenses. Without our deep and fervent love, every little irritation becomes a grievance. It should not be that way in the body of Christ. Because this early church met in homes, hospitality was necessary. To be hospitable means welcoming people into your home, but ...
Read more