Pray, Believe, Trust

The question was asked “When you pray, do you believe more that it won’t happen, or do you believe more that it will?”

There is a story in the bible of Jairus, a synagogue leader who I think is a great example of what praying, believing and trusting looks like. (Mark 5:21-43)

Jesus was out and about, going from one side of the lake to the other, when a man named Jairus came up to Jesus in a desperate manner.

You see, his little daughter was dying and he knew that Jesus could heal her with His touch.

Jesus agreed to go to his home.

While they were headed to Jairus’ daughter, Jesus was distracted and stopped for a bit.

Side note…can you tap into that feeling of desperation Jairus must have had when Jesus stopped?!

Um, excuse me Jesus, but we are kind of in a hurry!

I don’t think there is a single verse in the bible that tells us Jesus was in a hurry. There are several telling us that those around Him were, but not Jesus.

This is a HUGE lesson that God’s timing is perfect but good grief, it’s hard to be patient when we are looking at it with our earthly eyes!

Back to the story…during the distraction, some men came up to Jairus and told him that it was too late, his daughter had died. They even added this “Why bother the Teacher anymore?”

This takes us back to the question at the top of the page – When you pray, do you believe more that it won’t happen, or do you believe more that it will?

When praying, there must be belief that God is going to hear our request and act upon it. Where we sometimes fall short of our miracle is the trust that it takes to stay faithful for God’s timing.

Why bother the Teacher anymore?

We see death – the loss of a loved one, the ending of a marriage, the failed attempt at a dream.

We hear the lies telling us that our situation must not have been important to God; that we are not important to God.

I love Jesus’ response – “Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, ‘Don’t be afraid. Just believe.’”

I really like to think that Jesus even gave a slight eye roll as He said this.

So, they kept going on their journey to Jairus’ home and when they arrived, Jesus took Jairus and his wife (and a few disciples) in the room with Him.

He took hold of the little girl’s hand and said, “Little girl, get up!” and she did.

Yes, there was a miracle performed by bringing life back to the little girl, but don’t miss the hinging point to the miracle.

If Jairus had given up on his prayer to Jesus, he would not have seen God’s answer.

My challenge to all of us is to pray, believe and trust!