Written by Mark Driskill:
Read Mark 5:35-43
Futility is the great enemy of faith. Whenever we are seeking God for a miracle there will often come a point in which all seems lost. The Lord often allows things to go beyond the point of human reason where we begin to think there is no way the miracle can happen. This is where Jairus was when he heard the words of his friend, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any longer?” These words must have pierced through his faith with magnum force. His desperate heart sank under their weight into the depths of despair. Which of us has not felt our hope being deflated by the sobering “reality” of well meaning friends, calling us to give up?
The enemy of our souls uses well-meaning friends to try to reason us down from our position of faith. He whispers through them as he did to Jairus; “Why trouble the teacher any longer?” The implication of this question is clear. “Why trouble the teacher?” The enemy was saying in effect, “He’s just a teacher, nothing more. He has nice words, but he can’t help your daughter now. Leave the teacher alone and give up. Your daughter is mine.” He was calling Jairus to put away his faith and live in futility. Are you being called to give up in the same way? Have you been praying about something while well meaning friends are saying to you, “Come on this is ridiculous. Just give it up and get real.”?
But Jesus has an answer for the one who would sell us his “reality”. He said to Jairus what he says to us when we get to the point where a miracle no longer seems possible. He said, “Do not fear. Only believe.” Then he raised her from death. You see a miracle isn’t really miraculous until it goes beyond our sense of possibility and reason. The Lord often has to bring us beyond the limits of our reasoning to show us his unlimited power.
Too many of us never experience miracles because we have domesticated Jesus, at least in our minds. We have him on the leash of our reasonable religion where everything is nice and neat, and well ordered. We have a Jesus who would never defy our sense of propriety by doing anything supernatural. So when we come to an impossible situation we hear that dark whisper saying, “Why trouble the teacher? His teachings are nice and inspiring. His stories are uplifting. But don’t expect any more from him than that.” That kind of thinking puts Jesus on the same level with Barney the Dinosaur. Friend Jesus is not just a cool teacher. He is not just another step on the path to enlightenment. If he were, we could not trust him, because he claimed to be much more. He is the Son of God who heals saves and transforms lives. He calls to us in our impossible situations, “Do not fear. Only believe.”
Challenge: Eradicate the word Impossible from your vocabulary today. Start praying about an impossible situation in your life. Begin to expect God to act.
Mark Driskill and his wife Mary are homeschooling community ministers in Breathitt County Kentucky. They have four children. They co pastor Emmanuel fellowship Church, serve as Camp Pastors at Bethel Mennonite Camp, and Mark Teaches at Oakdale Christian Academy. Mark is web minister for Begotten by the Word , a ministry of Helping Hands Christian Resources. Once a month he preaches on the local radio station through the “Lion of Judah” program.
Mark also preaches in youth rallies and revivals upon request at no charge. Their vision is to see true spiritual awakening come to the mountains of Eastern Kentucky and to the nation.
Contact information:
Email: driskill@hilbillymail.com
Facebook: Mark Driskill
Address: PO Box 1159 Jackson KY.
