Luke 8:50

New International Version

Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

For Meditation

He was walking with Jesus, but fear had consumed him. From the time his daughter fell sick and showed signs of dying, daddy’s heart seized to be at ease. How could he lose his darling daughter—perhaps his only child? 

Jairus put his reputation aside and went after the Teacher from Nazareth (Luke 8:40-42). He was a ruler of the local synagogue, and he could not accept the claims of Jesus as Messiah or the Pharisees throw him out of it (John 9:22, 34). Now he was in need, and nothing could hold him back from seeking help from the man he had secretly admired and revered. How many people find themselves in such a dilemma with the Carpenter from Nazareth? 

Not only did Jairus break out of the religious bigotry, but he also prostrated before Jesus. The crowd did not matter to him. Jesus was the only person who could heal his daughter. Like Jacob (Genesis 32:26), Jairus literary held the feet of Jesus and demanded a blessing. The example of Jairus typifies how desperate our prayer is sometimes!

But now, the ultimate has happened. As Job confessed (Job 3:25), what Jairus feared has come upon him. The report from his house has come in – His darling daughter is dead! Why bother the Teacher anymore? (49). His heart sinks, and his face drops. The end has come for him, and it is not good news.

Hold on, my friend, if that is the report you have heard this morning. You went to church yesterday and cried to the Lord for your healing, that of your loved one, your marriage, your business or job situation. Whatever the critical need that sent you to the feet of Jesus, the fatal report you have heard cannot close the chapter on you. God has not abandoned you. He is working on your situation.

The unfortunate thing that at such times, we forget the Omniscience of God and His Omnipotence that can overrule every report you have received. Jesus knows how you feel about that information, and he cares enough to do something about it. He turns to Jairus and calmly says:

“Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed” (50).

That is the voice you need to hear this morning—the voice of the Master that calms the raging sea and quiets the storm (24). 

“Don’t be afraid, just believe.”

It is well, my friend! That report is a test of your faith. Hold on to Jesus until He reveals His glory through your circumstance.