How Can I Believe? My Daughter is Dead.
“My daughter is dying. You have to heal her. Please.”
The physician looked at the weary father in front of him and measured the emotion behind his words. There was desperation and more than a touch of fear swimming in his eyes. But there was something else there too — hope. It was surprising to see so much faith inside someone so distraught.
“I will help.” He nodded after only a moment’s pause. “Take me to her.”
The tearful father released the breath he was holding and began to lead the physician through the crowded city streets toward the house where his daughter lay dying. It was slow going, much to his despair. Throngs of people pushed against them and the men had to weave their way through the masses. The father sighed once. His daughter needed help now. Right now. There wasn’t time to waste. Still, they would be with her soon, and then she would be well. So, suppressing another sigh, he focused on sending prayers of gratitude heavenward as they walked.
Quite suddenly, the physician stopped walking and looked around, interrupting the already unpredictable flow of traffic. His eyes settled on a worn-down woman sitting near the side of the road. She looked tired, perhaps ill even. The father’s anxiety grew as he watched the woman say something to the healer. A flash of annoyance bordered on frustration as the doctor replied conversationally, smiling as if he had all the time in the world.
And maybe he does, but my daughter doesn’t.
And then the physician did something that caused this father’s frustration to flare into a torch of anger. He healed the woman, right there in the street. The crowd looked on in amazement while the father worked to check his anger, whispering quietly.
“Please, Lord.”
With one last smile and murmur of encouragement to the woman, the physician once again continued walking.
At long last, they arrived.
“Master,” a servant ran out to meet the father. “I’m sorry, but your daughter — she’s passed on.”
The father’s chest constricted painfully and the rush of blood running to his ears caused the physician’s words to sound as if they were spoken from far away.
“Be not afraid. Only believe.”
Real talk for a second: This is the real-life story of Jairus and his daughter found in the New Testament. And the emotions that Jairus undoubtedly felt are indistinguishable from the emotions you and I often feel when we’re waiting on the Lord for blessings. (You can read the actual accounts here: Matthew 9: 18-19, 23-26; Mark 5:21-24, 35-43; Luke 8:41-42, 49-56.)
Do you think Jairus was heartbroken at the news of his daughter’s passing? Undoubtedly. Was he angry with Jesus? Most likely. Did he blame Jesus (at least in part) for the death of his daughter? If I had to guess, I’d say yes.
It’s interesting that this account is interrupted by another miracle because for a moment it probably seemed like Christ didn’t care. He took His time, stopping to talk to and heal someone else. And now his daughter was gone, unreachable and unsavable from the chains of death. Christ was too late.
But it wasn’t too late. When it comes to godly matters, it is never too late. After Christ encourages Jairus to believe, He goes in and fulfills the promise He made and brought that young girl back to life. And while I’m sure Jairus had meant that he wanted his daughter to be healed before she died, the fact of the matter remains that the Lord did fulfill His promise. He did save her from death. Part of the reason this story is powerful is that it teaches us that yes, the Lord hears and answers our prayers, but it isn’t always in the way we would like.
Maybe that’s frustrating, but if the way Christ stops to heal the woman on the street is any indication of how He feels for us, I think it’s safe to say that Christ loves and cares about us individually. He takes time for each of us. He wants to heal us. He wants to encourage us to continue to become better than we are right now, and He celebrates every little effort you’re making to be like Him. He is not too busy to listen to you. He is not too burdened to help carry your load.
Christ fulfills His promises in His own time and in His own way. Blessings and answers may not always come quickly, but as we rely on Jesus Christ, they will come. He has not forgotten you just because He stops to help another on His way.
As we wait for the Lord to save us or our loved ones, let’s hold tight to the counsel he gave one heartbroken father 2000 years ago.
“Be not afraid. Only believe.”
“My daughter is dying. You have to heal her. Please.”
The physician looked at the weary father in front of him and measured the emotion behind his words. There was desperation and more than a touch of fear swimming in his eyes. But there was something else there too — hope. It was surprising to see so much faith inside someone so distraught.
“I will help.” He nodded after only a moment’s pause. “Take me to her.”
The tearful father released the breath he was holding and began to lead the physician through the crowded city streets toward the house where his daughter lay dying. It was slow going, much to his despair. Throngs of people pushed against them and the men had to weave their way through the masses. The father sighed once. His daughter needed help now. Right now. There wasn’t time to waste. Still, they would be with her soon, and then she would be well. So, suppressing another sigh, he focused on sending prayers of gratitude heavenward as they walked.
Quite suddenly, the physician stopped walking and looked around, interrupting the already unpredictable flow of traffic. His eyes settled on a worn-down woman sitting near the side of the road. She looked tired, perhaps ill even. The father’s anxiety grew as he watched the woman say something to the healer. A flash of annoyance bordered on frustration as the doctor replied conversationally, smiling as if he had all the time in the world.
And maybe he does, but my daughter doesn’t.
And then the physician did something that caused this father’s frustration to flare into a torch of anger. He healed the woman, right there in the street. The crowd looked on in amazement while the father worked to check his anger, whispering quietly.
“Please, Lord.”
With one last smile and murmur of encouragement to the woman, the physician once again continued walking.
At long last, they arrived.
“Master,” a servant ran out to meet the father. “I’m sorry, but your daughter — she’s passed on.”
The father’s chest constricted painfully and the rush of blood running to his ears caused the physician’s words to sound as if they were spoken from far away.
“Be not afraid. Only believe.”
Real talk for a second: This is the real-life story of Jairus and his daughter found in the New Testament. And the emotions that Jairus undoubtedly felt are indistinguishable from the emotions you and I often feel when we’re waiting on the Lord for blessings. (You can read the actual accounts here: Matthew 9: 18-19, 23-26; Mark 5:21-24, 35-43; Luke 8:41-42, 49-56.)
Do you think Jairus was heartbroken at the news of his daughter’s passing? Undoubtedly. Was he angry with Jesus? Most likely. Did he blame Jesus (at least in part) for the death of his daughter? If I had to guess, I’d say yes.
It’s interesting that this account is interrupted by another miracle because for a moment it probably seemed like Christ didn’t care. He took His time, stopping to talk to and heal someone else. And now his daughter was gone, unreachable and unsavable from the chains of death. Christ was too late.
But it wasn’t too late. When it comes to godly matters, it is never too late. After Christ encourages Jairus to believe, He goes in and fulfills the promise He made and brought that young girl back to life. And while I’m sure Jairus had meant that he wanted his daughter to be healed before she died, the fact of the matter remains that the Lord did fulfill His promise. He did save her from death. Part of the reason this story is powerful is that it teaches us that yes, the Lord hears and answers our prayers, but it isn’t always in the way we would like.
Maybe that’s frustrating, but if the way Christ stops to heal the woman on the street is any indication of how He feels for us, I think it’s safe to say that Christ loves and cares about us individually. He takes time for each of us. He wants to heal us. He wants to encourage us to continue to become better than we are right now, and He celebrates every little effort you’re making to be like Him. He is not too busy to listen to you. He is not too burdened to help carry your load.
Christ fulfills His promises in His own time and in His own way. Blessings and answers may not always come quickly, but as we rely on Jesus Christ, they will come. He has not forgotten you just because He stops to help another on His way.
As we wait for the Lord to save us or our loved ones, let’s hold tight to the counsel he gave one heartbroken father 2000 years ago.
“Be not afraid. Only believe.”
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