Don’t be afraid; just have faith. I remember being in a hospital chaplaincy training program when the person I was visiting was dying. His wife handed him a piece of paper with a Bible verse. He held on to the paper like it was of great value and stared at the verse. Don’t be afraid, just have faith was the message his wife was trying to convey. Continue to hold on to your faith in Jesus; He will get you through this storm.
If you are in a storm of life today, the Lord also would like to tell you, “Don’t be afraid; just have faith.” When we believe in Jesus, we have hope, peace, and encouragement no matter the storm we face. Our circumstances may not change, but Jesus will journey with us. We are never alone.
Jesus Reassures Fears with Faith
Jairus was rushing to Jesus because his daughter was dying. But as Jesus journeyed to his home, he received terrible news. The messengers told Jairus, your daughter is dead. Don’t bother Jesus anymore.
To bother means trouble or inconvenience. To God, as His children, we are never a bother or inconvenience. If you are hearing these words today, they are not from God. The Lord comes to give life and life abundantly; we learn in John 10:10. Mark 5:36 But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”[1] Jesus and Jairus continue their journey to his home with renewed hope in this dire situation. Jairus would learn firsthand why Jesus told him not to be afraid but to have faith.
Faith Turns Trials into Triumphs
We wonder what Jairus may have been thinking as Jesus neared his home. Was he replaying what Jesus had just told him? The text does not say. Mark 5:39 He (Jesus) went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” 40 The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. 41 Holding her hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up!” 42 And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed.[2]
Can you imagine the joy of Jairus and his family when his daughter rose from the dead? We can see how faith turned into a triumph. As we believe in Jesus as our Savior, our faith will turn into an eternal victory. Jesus will raise us for eternal life with Him at our physical death.
1 Thessalonians. 4: 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves.[3] Remember the words of Jesus, “Don’t be afraid just have faith.” To hear more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/mark-the-urgent-inconvenient
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Mk 5:36). Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Mk 5:39–42). Tyndale House Publishers.
[3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (1 Th 4:16). Tyndale House Publishers.