Jairus was the father of a 12 year old girl that was near death. He was a ruler in the synagogue in Capernaum according to Mark 5:22. To be in this position meant that you were well known and had some form of spiritual maturity and authority. He came to Jesus, pleading with him to come and to heal his daughter. The Bible tells it this way…

“While he (Jesus) was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him saying, ‘My daughter has just died, but come and LAY YOUR HANDS ON HER, and she will live.” (Matthew 9:18) NLT

I like what happens next. Verse 19 says that Jesus rose and followed him…

“And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, ‘Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and TOOK HER BY THE HAND, and the girl arose.” (Matthew 9:23-25) NLT

As a father I would be beside myself with emotion and perhaps Jairus had some of these emotions with him as he knelt before Jesus but he at least knew who to kneel in front of. Jesus was so moved by his faith that he got up and followed him. In the midst of all of the people that he was ministering to, this man’s faith rose above the rest.

“In my distress I called out to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he hears my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.” (Psalm 18:6) NIV

Here are a few things that stand out to me today:

1. I must cry out to God. There is something about distressed and desperate prayers that Jesus honors. He hears all of our prayers but the prayers of the desperate are particularly meaningful because them come from a place of brokenness. We have exhausted all other avenues and the only hope that we ever had was to cry out to Jesus. Sometimes it takes a drastic situation for that to happen but I must cry out to him.

2. I must come boldly before him. Jairus came respectfully but he came boldly. He was a man on a mission. If you’ve ever had a sick child and took them to the ER you know what I mean. Your game face is on and there is no stopping you from getting the care for your child in the most efficient way possible.

3. I must place my trust in Jesus. Not only did Jairus cry out to God and come boldly before him; he also placed his trust in the only physician that could heal his daughter.

Everyone of you are facing something right now that is impossible in your own strength. Everyone one of has and everyone one of us will.

Cry out to God!
Come boldly before him!
Trust in him!

He’s the God of miracles. NOTHING is impossible to him.

Many years ago I went to visit my grandparents in Oregon. They lived in a picturesque part of the state in a modest rancher style home. Out back was my grandfather’s workshop. If I remember correctly it was a three bay workshop with a woodshed on one side, an old car in the other bay and in the middle was a closed in building. It was in here that I began to work on a project with him. The project was coming along until one day my grandfather decided to visit some of his friends in town. I was bored. I could either help my grandmother knit and watch The Price is Right or I could go outside and find something to do. The choice was easy. I made my way to that workshop and looked over the project. It wasn’t soon after that I felt a presence in the room and it wasn’t God. My grandfather stood there peering over the top of his glasses marveling at the mess that I had made.

I had taken matters into my own hands and I did not keep this project in the hands of the master. In his Christlike nature my grandfather took that project and began to fix what I had messed up.

Jairus knew that even though he didn’t make his daughter sick he knew that if Jesus would just lay his hands on her all would be well. The hands of my grandfather made things well.

When we call on the name of Jesus in our homes, our marriages, our relationships, our jobs, our hopes, our dreams, our plans, and ask him to place his hands on them there is nothing impossible with God. Nothing!

Don’t give up on him even when the band is playing and the funeral procession has started. Don’t give up on him even when the enemy laughs at you. Trust in Jesus. Trust in those nail scarred hands that brought hope to humanity to the same for your situation.