SCRIPTURE: Luke 8:40-56
OBSERVATION:
I am struck by the eager welcome that Jesus receives, and how desperate people are for His help. The crowds welcome Jesus with open arms, the woman desperately clings to Jesus for healing, the crowds are eagerly pressing up against Him, and the Jairus begs Him for His help. This is a picture to me of how desperate we are for help, looking for healing, hope or meaning… somewhere. But where do we turn? If Jesus were here now, many people would flock to Him, I imagine, though many others would be offended at Him, especially when He repeated His outrageous claims. Its interesting that Jesus does not want Jairus and his family to tell people about what He did. This is an amazing miracle! But I suspect that Jesus knew us too well, that we would turn Him into a celebrity and a miracle-worker, but not allow Him to be the Saviour of the world. Nobody wants a meek, humble, crucified (ie defeated) messiah.
APPLICATION:
These people had more than faith, they had a desperate hope. Its not until I become desperate for His help that I will reach out to Jesus as I need to. A casual or academic interest does not translate into faith. We need help, we desperately need to get back to God, and we desperately need Jesus to get us to God. Is there enough desperation in me, to make my faith vital? Do I sense how serious my need for help, strength, guidance is? Like the alcoholic, I can only really get help when I finally admit my problems. Yet when life goes so well, when I am coasting through life and doing OK, I forget about my day-by-day need for His help, strength and guidance. And when things unravel, where do I turn? Jesus wants me more than just when things go wrong, He wants me to want Him and need Him always. He does not want to be my celebrity or my miracle-worker, He wants to be my Saviour and Lord… and Friend!
PRAYER:
Lord, give me a desperate heart that hungers and thirst for You. Show me my sin, my need, my desperate condition without You, and lead me into a living, daily relationship with You as my Saviour and Lord. Amen.
vs. 41 – LORD, help me to always be willing to humble myself before You; having the kind of faith that knows exactly who and what You are capable of in my life; that nothing is impossible for You. LORD, when I come to You, may I not be casual, may I know that I am in Your Holy Presence! May the reality of this truth bring me to my knees every time! This father was desperate for Your healing touch – I too am desperate for Your touch in my life
vs. 44 – LORD is my faith sincere and deep enough to believe in the power of just reaching out to You, if only I could just touch Your hem…… Do I know You in this way? Do I truly believe in Your power in this way? Am I willing to push through the ‘crowds’ (the chaos of this world) to get to You? I long for this kind of determined faith, nothing being able to stop me from getting to You! God, help me to know You in this way…..
LORD, You have created us with many senses- grant me eyes to see every single detail of You; ears to hear every sound of You; mind to know everything there is to know of/about You; ability to touch and feel/experience You with every sensation in my body; a nose that is able to smell Your Holy, fragrant Presence; the ability to taste and savor the goodness of all that You are- to be fully alive in and through You….. Oh God, how great Thou art!
How great is my faith? The passage describes two accounts of faith. The woman who was a social outcast because of her condition and a religious leader. Both were going against the flow of beliefs at this time. Both show acts of faith. All may come to Jesus and He accepts us as we are. What a Savior! Just trust and obey. Come as you are to the Savior and heed His call. Help me to walk with You this day.
Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!