Do you believe?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

“Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
(Mark 5:36b (NIV))

Do you know the first part of this story?

Jesus was asked by a ruler of a synagogue to come and heal his daughter. Along the way, a woman touched the hem of his robe and was healed. Jesus was sidetracked from his plans. During this time, some men came and told the ruler of the synagogue that his daughter had died. It appeared that Jesus was too late. It appeared that all hope was lost.

With that scene laid out before you, can you imagine the feelings of despair that the ruler of the synagogue probably felt. I can also imagine that he was probably also feeling anger toward the woman who had distracted Jesus. He was afraid that he had failed his daughter and that he had failed his family and himself. I can imagine the deep anguish that I would feel if I had gone to get someone who could save my son or daughter only to discover that circumstances had delayed the saving grace that I had been so sure of.

“Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
(Mark 5:36b (NIV))

Words.

Words that are so easy to say, yet, are so difficult to hold on to when all around you seems to be falling apart.

I want you to ask yourself this one question – Have any of the promises that God has made ever been broken?

Jesus, the word made flesh, had willingly gone with the man to heal his daughter. He had promised to go. It is not in his nature to break a promise, even when in the eyes of the world, things are too far gone for anything to happen. But, happen it did.

Jesus healed the girl. He brought her back from the dead. According to all worldly knowledge, it was too late, but according to God’s timing, it was not. In fact, the timing of this resurrection was perfect, for it magnified God through the actions that transpired.

With God, things may never be too late. Is there something in your life that just will not change, something that has been troubling you for a very long time? It is not too late for God to turn that around. Is there a dream that you feel that God has given to you, but it has not come to fruition and you are getting older? It is not too late for God to make it happen.

In all honesty, I believe that these five words can be used to define a faith in Jesus. They can be used to help us walk through the darkest shadows of life. They can be used to encourage us when we walk through whatever wilderness we find ourselves in.

Don’t be afraid.

For I am the LORD, your God,
    who takes hold of your right hand
  and says to you, Do not fear;
    I will help you.
(Isaiah 41:13 (NIV))

Just believe!

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Do you understand what Jesus is telling us?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
(John 18:36 (NIV))

Hindsight provides fantastic understanding. We can look back upon the words that Jesus has spoken and clearly see what He meant when He spoke them. We see through and understand through the veil of historical perspective that was not available at the time. The people that Jesus spoke to did not have this luxury. They understood things in the “here and now” concept as do most people to this day.

This basic human characteristic relies only on what can be seen, touched, heard or felt at that particular moment. It does not grasp the concept that there is more than meets the eye. We are bound to the physical realm, perhaps by the fall from grace, perhaps by our separation from God. Whatever has caused our bondage to the physical realm, we are obligated to live in it. Perhaps it is this physical realm that limits our spiritual understanding, after all, if it is spiritual, it rarely manifests itself in the physical world.

With this thought process, dare I suggest that we take a look at our true natures. How would we have understood these words if we did not have the advantage of historical perspective? I think that many of us, if not all of us, would have misunderstood them just as the people did when Jesus originally spoke them. With all of our technology, with all of our history, with all of our “understanding,” we are no different than the people who heard these words directly from Jesus. To me, this is a clear indication that humanity is still in need of a Savior. We have not gotten any wiser, just better educated.

What is your understanding of what Jesus is still telling us?

Copyright 1998 – 2012 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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