A Lesson on Unbelief

This morning we're going to learn about unbelief, which is something Pastor talked a little bit about this morning in his message.

! If I could have five volunteers this morning to read a passage of scripture. Darren, Psalm 3415.

Jared, Psalm 2714. Joe, Psalm 119, 51. James, Hebrews 11, 6. Sorry, I'm out of Psalms.

Anybody want to do one more? Matt, Joshua 23, 14. So you have to have your thumb on that one for a long time.

It's all the way at the end. What's that? 3415. Okay? All right. So Mark chapter 5. Look at verse number 22, please.

Mark 5 · chapter mention

And behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name. And when he saw him, he fell at his feet.

And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death. I pray thee, come and lay hands on her, that she may be healed, and she shall live.

Verse 24, And Jesus went with him, and much people followed him and thronged him.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we're just grateful for our day. Lord, thank you for bringing us all together in this place.

Just thank you, Father, for all that are here. Lord, I just pray that this message this morning would speak to us, Lord.

That we would have a good time worshiping you, and pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

So our last couple of lessons, we saw Peter, and as he learned about the Lord, was at the Sea of Galilee.

Today, we're in Capernaum. And here, we'll learn, along with a man named Jairus, a lesson in unbelief.

So John Wooden once said, Repetition is the key to learning. And we see this in Peter's life, don't we?

I mean, I see it in my life, I guess, too, right?

In our last lesson, we watched as Peter learned that trust and obedience are foundational to becoming the disciple of Jesus.

But Peter had not mastered the concept from just one experience.

In fact, we see interwoven through every succeeding lesson of this Sunday school lesson, the importance of trusting and obeying.

So good teachers understand, just as Jesus did, that continual reinforcement of learning is vital.

I mean, how many times have you told your kids to clean their room, pick up their socks?

It's like, right?

Because we have to learn, we have to be told over and over.

I like to say that maybe we should all be grateful that the Lord is patient with all of us in this area, right?

But when it comes to trusting the Lord, we more easily doubt than we trust, don't we?

I do. I more easily doubt than trust when it comes to that area.

Why do you suppose that is?

I think, what's that?

Why is it easier?

I think it's because the doubt gives us a false feeling of control.

That's what I think.

I'm in charge.

And not only that, I want to be in charge, right?

I want to be able to take the credit for the way things turn out.

So if I'm in charge then, and it turns out good, I get the credit.

Okay, I'll be alone on that one.

But that's just the way I am in my life.

I want the credit, and so I doubt.

And I want to be in charge, and so I doubt.

With God's help, however, we can leave doubting behind and walk forward in faith.

Three times in the New Testament, the Bible tells us,

the just shall live by faith.

So since this is a Bible teaching class, we're now going to have a pop quiz.

Who can tell me one of the three times?

One of the three times, the New Testament says,

the just shall live by faith.

Three verses.

Oh, look, we have prizes.

Pop quiz.

Romans what?

Who said that?

Oh, look at that.

Hey, Romans 1.17.

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith,

as it is written, the just shall live by faith.

There's two left.

David.

What's that?

Hebrews 10.35.

35?

38.

Best ones for last.

Nice job.

That's the one I would have picked for sure.

Well, I certainly need the steps, that's for sure.

Okay, Galatians 3.11.

But that no man is justified by the law on the side of God,

it is evident for the just shall live by faith.

So as we continue in our discipleship education,

we will see Peter learn once again that nothing is too hard for God

through the sad situation.

Look at verse number 22.

Behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue,

Jairus by name.

And when he saw him, he fell at his feet,

and besought him greatly, saying,

My little daughter lieth at the point of death.

I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her,

that she may be healed, and she shall live.

So when sin entered the world, Genesis 3,

paradise was departed.

And out of that, we now have to learn how to deal with death.

And it's one of the hardest struggles that we have in life,

learning to deal with the death,

especially of a loved one, and especially of a child.

In this lesson, we'll meet a man named Jairus

who is facing the terminal illness of his child.

And undoubtedly, he would have done what any parent would have done.

Spared no expense to try to heal this child.

Called every doctor.

Done everything he could think of.

However, nothing seemed to have worked for him.

And barring a miracle, he knew that his daughter was going to die.

I think this father was definitely anguished.

Concerned.

Fully aware that the only hope that he could possibly have for his daughter was Jesus.

And that, he cast himself at the Savior's feet.

And we see the father's plea in verse number 23.

Besought him greatly, saying,

My little daughter lieth at the point of death.

I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her,

that she may be healed, and she shall live.

You know, Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue.

Okay?

Very high in position in society.

Interesting, though, his power and his wealth

were of no use to him in this situation.

At this moment, he only had one thought in mind.

If he could just get to Jesus, his daughter might be healed.

And when he saw the man, think about this.

This man, great power and authority,

threw himself at the feet of Jesus.

As a matter of fact, the Bible says,

Besought him greatly.

This is a very impassioned plea for help.

And he knew that the Lord was the only one

who could heal his daughter.

You know, I think sometimes that the way we ask for help

dictates the kind of help we get.

Right?

If I were to come up to John and say,

Hey, John.

Did you know the basement's on fire?

What do you suppose John's reaction would be?

Oh, fire.

Yeah, it's a big fire, a little fire.

Right?

But it's a fire.

John, the basement's on fire.

John's going to run up, jump up, and run downstairs

and look and see if it's on fire.

So the way we ask dictates the response we get, doesn't it?

What does the Bible say about that?

When we pray, how do we ask of the Lord?

Are we urgent when we ask him?

James 5, verse 16.

James 5:16

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Elias was a man subject to like passion as we,

and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain,

and guess what?

It rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain,

and the earth brought forth her fruit.

In these verses on prayer, James recounts a passage of 1 Kings 17,

where Elijah prayed earnestly that it might not rain

to show power to an unbelieving king.

When we pray, are we urgent?

Are we fervent?

Because if we are, God will take notice.

Psalm 34, 15.

Recorded throughout Scripture are stories of fervent petition.

Hannah, 1 Samuel.

One of my favorite passages of a fervent prayer.

Earnestly prayed and wept before the Lord for a child to her God

granted her request.

David fasted and prayed all night,

asking the Lord to spare his child in 2 Samuel 12.

That child wasn't spared, was he?

But I believe that prayer was still answered.

And in the parable of the widow and the unjust judge,

the widow received her request simply because of her persistence in Luke 18.

Christ showed us the ultimate example of fervent prayer in the garden,

right before his crucifixion.

When we fervently pray, the Lord hears us,

just as Jesus heard Jairus' desperate request for help.

So as Christ traveled to his house,

Peter and the rest of the disciples followed along,

but an uninspected delay stopped him.

And I wonder how Jairus felt.

Jesus, come save my daughter.

Okay, let's go.

What happened?

Nope.

Roadblock.

How do you suppose Jairus felt?

How would we feel?

So the daughter's plight was in jeopardy.

And Jairus had hope.

That's why he went to the Lord.

Jesus was coming.

Jairus believed his daughter could be healed.

But Jesus was stopped.

Out of the throng accompanying him,

we all know that a desperate woman,

plagued by this issue of blood that she had,

touched the Lord for healing.

Like the dying girl, the doctors could not help her either.

Jesus, in his compassion,

saw her faith and healed her.

But this delay, this stop was fatal, wasn't it?

A messenger at that time came from the house and said,

hey, it's too late.

Why bother the master any longer?

Your daughter's dead.

You know, at the beginning of the story,

Matthew records the father telling Jesus,

telling that his daughter was even dead in Matthew 9.

While Mark said she was at the point of death,

Luke said she was dying.

However it was,

Jairus was expecting her death.

And knew that,

the father knew that she could die by the time

that he had reached Jesus.

And where doctors could no longer help,

where medication could no longer cure,

Jairus knew there was only one

who could prevail in this situation.

His name was Jesus.

Come, lay thy hand upon her, he says.

She shall live.

At this moment,

Jesus was the last resort.

Jesus was the only resort.

And even though Jairus began with great faith,

Jesus knew the delay

and the report that his daughter had actually died

could probably undermine that faith.

That seems kind of risky.

But Jesus always is an encourager.

What does he say in verse number 36?

As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken,

he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue,

Be not afraid,

only believe.

That was his encouragement.

So what was Jairus afraid of?

Why would Jesus say,

Be not afraid,

only believe?

What was the fear?

Yeah,

for his daughter was going to die.

Anything else?

Maybe that Jesus wouldn't heal her.

Maybe that Jesus wasn't real.

Aren't those fears we have sometimes

when we go to God

and ask these things?

That Jesus won't act

the way we want him to act?

What does Jesus say?

Be not afraid,

only believe.

But that can't work for us

unless we take our problems to him.

Can it?

Unless we go to Jesus with these things.

Jesus can't work on them.

Jairus took his problem to the Lord

and we can too.

1 Peter 5, 7,

Casting all your care upon him

for he careth for you.

Psalm 27, 14.

It looked hopeless, didn't it?

And the Bible doesn't say,

but maybe the disciples

thought it was hopeless also.

I think there was some doubt

in the crowd at this point.

And while everybody knew

that Jesus could work miracles,

the girl had already died.

I think that Jesus, however,

wanted this opportunity

so he could demonstrate to everyone

his power could break

even death's grip

in spite of the scornful spectators.

Verse number 40.

And they laughed him to scorn,

but when he had put them all out,

he taketh the father

and the mother of the damsel

and them that were with him

and entereth where the damsel was lying.

By the time Jairus had reached his home,

a crowd had already assembled.

You know, and maybe some of them

were genuinely grieving,

friends and family.

Obviously, some could have been curious.

Back in Matthew,

there was minstrels there,

professional mourners even.

But one thing's clear.

Of all the people that were there,

they all doubted Jesus' ability

to raise this girl from the dead.

The Lord had an assertion, however,

in verse number 39.

And when he was come in,

he saith unto them,

Why make ye this ado?

And weep.

The damsel is not dead,

but sleepeth.

When Jesus arrived,

he told the mourners

the young girl was not dead.

She's just sleeping.

Looking at the harmony of the Gospels,

we see three accounts of this statement,

all of which use the exact same wording.

They laughed him to scorn.

Why would Jesus say this?

How could he know?

He was just now arriving on the scene.

He couldn't possibly have known

all of the things

that have gone on before.

And he says this crazy thing.

She's not dead.

She's asleep.

Surely, this guy Jesus

had no idea what he was talking about.

But Jesus says,

Be not afraid.

Only believe.

While we may not laugh

as the mourners did

at the statement that Jesus made,

I think sometimes

we actually question

whether or not God

understands my situation.

We wonder if he truly understands

how busy we are,

how discouraged we feel,

how little money we have,

how bad things really are in my life.

But when we entertain those thoughts,

aren't we guilty of unbelief?

In reality,

aren't we saying,

Lord, you're wrong,

just as those at Jairus' house did

on the day that the little girl died?

But Jesus says,

Be not afraid.

Only believe.

Last week in Luke 5,

the Lord told Peter

to cast his net into the deep

despite his questions and doubts.

But Peter obeyed

even if he didn't believe

and was blessed

with a great catch of fish.

God's statements may run contrary

to what we think

and to what human reason is,

but that will never invalidate

what God says in his word.

What God says will always be true.

John 17, 7 says,

Sanctify them

through thy truth,

thy word is truth.

Psalm 119, 51.

I told you the wrong verse, brother.

I'm very sorry about that.

It was 119, 151.

So I need new glasses.

That one makes more sense, doesn't it?

That one fits to the best.

Okay.

Where's he going with that verse?

I can wait to see him

mess this up.

Okay.

Not afraid, only believe.

First Kings chapter 17,

1 Kings 17 · chapter mention

God had instructed his prophet Elijah

to go to a widow woman

who would sustain him.

Elijah found the lady

and asked her for some bread

and some water.

And she said,

Hey, all I got is a little oil

and a little meal

and I'm just about to bake it up

so my son and I can eat

and then die of starvation.

What did Elijah say?

That's okay.

Make some for me first

and then make it for you guys

and things will be fine.

Not afraid, only believe.

And you know what?

Their little cakes a meal,

that's all they had

for the entire famine.

One little cake.

But they lived, didn't they?

They made it through the famine.

Why?

Trust and obey.

They believed what God said

and acted on it.

Didn't make any sense

yet it was still

the miracle happened.

You know,

I think we've all heard it said

that God said it,

I believe it,

and that settles it.

And that really sounds strong.

Sounds like I'm really spiritual.

The fact of the matter is

it doesn't matter

what we think, does it?

What God says is true

whether we believe it or not.

Yep.

God said it,

that's all there is.

And this truth

was about to come to life

for Jairus and his family

because we see the people

in derision,

verse number 40.

And they laughed him to scorn,

but when he had put them all out,

he taketh the father

and the mother of the damsel

and them that were with him

and entered in

where the damsel was lying.

It's hard to fathom

that people would actually

laugh scornfully

at a time like this.

Right?

The death of a child,

but we're going to make fun

of this guy.

Especially when they were laughing

at the son of God himself.

What's even more astounding

is these people

quite possibly

knew Jesus personally.

Where was he?

He was in Capernaum.

Matthew 9 tells us

that's his own city.

They should have known

that the Lord

wasn't lying

or bragging

or crazy.

And maybe they should have

given him some courtesy

and respect

and held their peace,

especially during

this time of mourning.

You know,

we question sometimes

how people could have

acted like this

at this time,

but how many times

do we do that?

I mean,

before we judge,

I think we should

look at ourselves

and ask the question,

would I have made the cake?

Elijah came to me.

And there's enough

for my family

before we die.

Am I going to give

to the prophet of God first?

Am I going to give to God?

Am I going to believe

what he says?

Or am I going to make

for myself and die?

So oftentimes

we resort to mocking

when we don't understand.

Because it's easier to doubt,

Brother Darren,

isn't it?

It's easier to doubt.

This is one time,

this is one reason

I think unbelievers

sometimes we ridicule.

And sometimes

we get ridiculed

by unbelievers.

Right?

Religion is a crutch.

What you're looking for

is what?

Pie in the sky

and the sweet

by and by.

They jeer at us

and refuse to believe

what they can't prove

to their satisfaction.

Right?

Question the accuracy

see the Bible

and wonder

why such an ancient book

has our allegiance.

But until they believe

these things,

they will never understand.

1 Corinthians 1,

1 Corinthians 1:18

verse 18 says,

For the preaching

of the cross

is to them

that perish foolishness,

but unto us

which are saved

is the power of God.

You know,

it's interesting.

Back in Matthew,

when he describes

the scene,

he uses the word

noise.

Much noise

was happening.

Mark uses the word

tumult.

A lot of noise

around unbelief,

isn't there?

A lot of noise.

It's hard to make sense

of it all

through all the noise.

But here's what I know

in my own life.

Can't make sense of it

until I believe it.

That sounds counterintuitive,

but there's a reason

that it's that way.

And the reason is,

until I believe,

the Holy Spirit

can't instruct me on it.

We need the Holy Spirit

to explain these things

to us.

And if we don't have

the Holy Spirit in us,

then we can't have

the explanation.

We can't understand.

And therefore,

they become foolishness.

Here's 11.6.

What do you suppose

was running through

Peter's mind

when he followed

Jesus to this house?

Oh, we're going to

see another show.

Let's go check this out.

Jesus, you're going to

raise somebody from the dead?

This is crazy.

What's going on?

I don't know.

Bible doesn't say.

Not very clear.

Obviously, he had thoughts.

It's fun to think about it.

I try to think about

what would I be thinking

in this moment.

Right?

I think one of the mistakes

that Christians make

when they read the Bible

is they always put themselves

in the place

of the hero character.

Right?

Or they'll take the opposite

and say,

well, I don't know

why Peter did that

because I would have

never done that.

That's a fallacy

I have all the time.

I like to think

that I'm the most

spiritual guy.

I mean,

why is it my name

in the Bible?

I'm so spiritual.

But the fact of the matter is,

things that these people

live through and believe

far outweigh anything

that I'll probably ever do.

and that's why my name

will never be in a book.

And my place

when I read the Bible

needs to be

not I would have done it better

or not how could they

not have believed,

but how can I take the lesson

from this life

and become a Christian

that's actually worthy

of living these stories?

Why can't,

why can't my,

you know,

what's the old thing?

I once knew,

okay,

I grew up in church

and he was always sad

because his testimony was,

I got saved

at a young age.

I grew up in church.

That's so terrible.

I went on one

of these testimonies

where, you know,

I was a drug dealer

and I murdered

and I got saved

and now I'm running

a church of 7,000 people

and I think to myself,

no.

The best testimony

is I grew up in church

because that's the way

it should be.

So I try to put myself

not in the hero place

but in the lowest place

because that's where I am.

So what was running

through Peter's mind

when he was looking

at all this?

Had he learned

from his experience

with the fish hole

to trust Jesus

even if he didn't understand

or did he still allow doubts

to shake his faith

in what Jesus said?

Because we will face situations

where we must choose

between doubt and faith

and during these times

we can ask the Lord

to help us overcome

our belief in his word.

You know,

in a different miracle

another father came to the Lord

requesting healing

for his child.

This child had a dumb spirit

the Bible said.

Right?

And the disciples

couldn't cast him out.

The father struggled

with doubt

and needed the Lord

to strengthen him,

to strengthen his faith.

Mark 9,

Mark 9:23

verse 23,

Jesus said unto him,

If thou canst believe

all things are possible

to him that believeth.

And straightway

the father of the child

cried out

and said with tears,

Lord, I believe.

Help thou my unbelief.

You know,

we all struggle

with unbelief.

However,

we have a great God

that can help us

overcome our doubts.

At Jairus' home,

those who laugh scornfully

at Christ

did not exercise

that faith.

And although we find

our own faith lacking

at times,

we can choose to exercise

the faith we do have.

How do we do that?

We do that.

My third favorite verse

in the whole Bible,

Hebrews 11, 1.

Now faith is the substance

of things hoped for,

the evidence of things

not seen.

Great verse.

Clears up a lot of bad

things we believe

in our life.

Despite the spectator's

derision and unbelief,

Jairus continued inside

to heal the young girl.

Praise the Lord

that he was going to accomplish

what he set out to do

despite what everybody

else said.

Christ was coming

once again

to confirm

that he was not only

the trustworthy

but the all-powerful Lord.

And he is

the sufficient Savior.

To the crowd,

Christ was too late.

The child was dead.

And it seemed ridiculous

that he would say

that she was merely sleeping.

Everybody said

she was dead.

She was in fact dead.

And despite the sensitivity

of the situation,

they began to mock him openly.

In the next few moments,

however,

their scorn

were changed to astonishment.

Spectators,

grieving parents,

and the disciples

were about to find out

that Jesus

is the all-sufficient,

almighty Savior

who can do anything.

What about Peter?

That's what this lesson

is about.

Peter.

Number 37.

And he suffered

no man to follow him

save Peter

and James and John,

the brother of James.

See,

of all the disciples,

only three were allowed

to go along with him.

Why?

Just said he did.

Peter, however,

did respond

to the call of Christ

when he was called.

There was a decision

to leave all

and to follow him.

And that set about

a certain future.

And because of that,

they were going to see

something that was a reward.

It's interesting

time after time,

Peter showed a great desire

to be near Christ.

I mean,

Peter was the first one

to come to Christ

on the water.

Peter was the first one

to run to the empty tomb,

even if he wasn't

the fastest.

And this is a good lesson

for us today, isn't it?

When we stay close to Christ,

we will experience

miraculous things.

And we'll have the opportunity

to impact others.

I wonder,

did Peter have joy that day?

And did he have joy

in retelling the story

of Jairus' daughter

being resurrected,

not resurrected,

being brought back to life?

I mean,

what a cool story.

I mean,

talk about a witnessing tool.

We all look for stories

to try to witness

to people, right?

This is a...

I don't got nothing like that.

It must have been

a special time

to see death defeated

and mourning

turned into rejoicing.

Look at verse 42.

Straightway the damsel

arose and walked,

for she was of the age

of 12 years old,

and they were astonished

with a great astonishment.

So many times,

Peter was faced

with a situation

he did not understand.

When Christ said

the girl was only sleeping,

what did Peter think?

Did he feel uncomfortable

being associated

with the man

everyone was laughing at?

But he didn't abandon the Lord,

and as a result,

he witnessed the Lord

miraculously raising

someone to life.

I think God wants

to bless us,

but only those

that remain faithful

and obey

can Christ bless

and will fully experience

his wonderful works.

And Peter did see

the maid arising

in verse 42.

Straightway she arose

and walked.

Jesus took her

by the hand.

Family was close by,

mom and dad were there,

the three disciples,

and the Lord's voice

came out,

damsel,

I say unto thee,

arise.

Taliyata kumi,

the Bible says,

which is being interpreted,

damsel,

I say unto thee,

arise.

But not only did she arise,

she walked

and she ate.

She had not just been

brought back to life,

but she was restored

to full health.

because God doesn't

do anything halfway.

After all,

Jesus had told the father,

what?

Fear not,

only believe,

and she shall be made whole.

Joshua 23, 14.

Thank you.

Twelve-year-old girl

had been raised

from death to life

by the giver

of life himself.

The one who created her,

raised her from the dead.

Likewise,

when we're saved,

Christ breathes life

into us in a way.

And the great thing

about that,

it's instant.

There's no earning it,

there's no buying it,

there's no hoping for it,

there's no levels

of ascendancy.

When you're saved,

you're saved instantly.

Just like this girl

was raised instantly.

Because of this,

we are commanded

to be ambassadors

to bring life

to a dying world.

Second Corinthians 5, 20.

Now,

then we are ambassadors

for Christ.

As though God

did beseech you by us,

we pray you in Christ's stead,

be you reconciled to God.

I mean,

you can imagine

the parents' astonishment

in verse number 42.

They were astonished

with a great astonishment.

That's a lot of astonishment.

And how could you not be?

Their dying child

was raised from,

was brought back to life.

A great miracle

was performed that day.

We can see miracles

in our life.

Every time somebody

gets saved,

that's a miracle.

Yep.

We're dead in our sins,

the Bible says.

But we can be raised

in newness of life

just by believing

and not being afraid.

I think that hampers

sometimes people

from getting saved.

they're afraid.

They're afraid

that they won't get

to hang out

with their buddies anymore.

They're afraid

people won't like them anymore

because let's face it,

Christians are weird.

I talked to a man

one time,

he didn't want to get saved

because he had

a particular sin

that he liked a lot.

He didn't want

to give it up.

And he knew

that if he got saved,

God was going to deal

with him about it.

He didn't want

to give it up.

Sometimes I think

people are afraid

of the unknown.

You grow up worldly,

you know worldly,

but spiritual things

can be an unknown

and can be frightening.

Be not afraid,

only believe.

Luke and Mark

both state that

Jairus and his wife

were astonished.

In some ways,

this could be described

as partial faith.

Jairus believed

that Christ had

the power to heal

but didn't believe

that Jesus could likewise

raise from the dead.

When the news came

that his daughter died,

Jesus said,

believe only

and she shall be made whole.

Jairus heard that,

yet he and his wife

were surprised

when it happened.

Astonishment does

involve surprise,

doesn't it?

When we pray

and ask God

to do mighty things

and when he does them,

are we surprised

or do we expect it?

As believers,

we know we have a big God.

Therefore,

we ought to be possessors

of a big faith.

Remember,

God can do anything

except fail.

Noah believed God

was going to send a flood.

David believed God

would give him victory

over Goliath.

Elijah believed God

could send down fire

on Mount Carmel.

If there's one TV show

I want to see,

action movie,

that's the one

I want to see.

I mean,

seriously.

I want to see the look

on all those guys' faces.

When they're trying

to wake up,

they're sleeping God.

Oh, hey,

maybe if you're

a little bit louder,

he'll wake up.

And then Elijah's like,

no, no,

more water,

more water.

And the fire

consumes the dust.

I want to see that show.

Daniel believed God

could shut the mouth

of the lions.

D.L. Moody believed

that God would save

multitudes through the

faithful preaching

of his word.

And we too can experience

the blessings

of those Christians

if we would believe

God can do the impossible.

You know,

believing the Lord's word

is a choice.

We can intellectualize it

all day long.

At the end of the day,

it's still a choice

because nobody can prove

it to your satisfaction

if you'll never be satisfied.

The spectators mocked

in unbelief.

Jairus chose to have faith

that the Lord could

heal his daughter.

You know,

the Bible doesn't really

say where Peter stood.

Did he doubt?

Did he go with the crowd?

Or did he believe that day?

Even though he didn't

understand.

Either way,

the Lord demonstrated

he was worthy of belief.

And he is.

Jesus is worthy

of our belief.

And that Jesus

demonstrated that day

he knew exactly

what he was doing,

that he is all-powerful

and even over death.

Like Jairus,

we all face struggles.

And despite our problems,

God's greater

than all of them.

He not only knows

where we are,

but he feels our pain,

doesn't he?

The Bible says so.

It is he whom Isaiah

called the man of sorrows.

Surely,

he hath borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows.

It may appear

God doesn't care.

Sometimes we think

God doesn't understand

because, you know,

he's not working out

to the way

I think it should work out.

Remember?

Remember?

That false sense

of being in charge?

But when we're tempted

to doubt,

I encourage you

to remember Jairus.

Christ sees exactly

what's going on.

And maybe there's

a woman of blood

that also needs help.

Right?

What a great lesson.

Jesus was coming

to save this daughter,

but somebody else

needs help too.

And Jesus has time

for all of us.

He knows exactly

what He's doing.

It's our responsibility

to simply trust and obey,

asking God for the strength

to go forward

no matter what.

1 John 4.4

Greater is He

that is in you

than He that is in the world.

Yeah?

All right, let's pray.

Heavenly Father,