As a kid, I loved the act of getting ready for church. I remember how fun it was once I started wearing makeup–it was a weekly chance to look my best and, in all my fourteen-year-old pride, show off a little for the sweet people who loved me enough to fawn over me. Ahhh, youth.
While I was having fun, however, my poor father was tapping his toes in the kitchen. He knew when we needed to go in order to make it to the service on time, but I, in my infinite teenage wisdom, told him to be calm and wait, for all would be well. We ended up at church before worship started. Most of the time.
I have been thinking about this recently as I ponder what it means to be on God’s timeline. I am the furthest thing from God, but just as my dad was enveloped in my idea of how the schedule should go, so are we all wrapped up in the Lord’s timing. While it is easy for me to say that I trust Him and that all will be well, I am always internally doing far worse than tapping my toes.
As I have been working through this, one of my all time favorite passages of Scripture came to mind. In this familiar story found Mark 5:21-43, Jesus is approached by a man named Jairus whose daughter is dying. Jesus immediately goes with the man, but is soon swamped by the crowds. A woman who had suffered bleeding for twelve years touched the hem of Jesus’ robe and received healing from the Lord, but in the time that it took for Jesus to tarry and talk with her, Jairus’ daughter died. Verses 35 and 36 read:
“While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of
Jairus, the synagogue leader. ‘Your daughter is dead,’ they said. ‘Why bother the teacher anymore?’
Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, ‘Don’t be afraid; just
believe.’”
The reason I have long loved this passage is because of the bleeding woman. In my mind, Jairus was always just kind of an afterthought to this magnificent example of Jesus’ ability to see and heal the broken and helpless. But these two stories are braided together. I have related to the bleeding woman in the past, but the more I think of my impatience and desperation when I lack control, the more I sympathize with this aching father.
There was a plan. He had secured Jesus’ help and all seemed to be going well, when all of a sudden Jairus’ timeline was thrown for a loop. Jairus knew how pressed they were. He completely understood that his daughter needed help ASAP, and here was Jesus taking His sweet time. The text does not tell us what Jairus did while Jesus was with the bleeding woman, but I can only imagine how absolutely frantic he must have felt.
How often do we do this? We set our plans, God sets His, and the two must do battle because we insist that we know better. For anyone waiting, jumping out of their skin while trying to figure out what in the world God is doing, I want to share a few words of encouragement which I have been trying to dwell in myself.
First, it is okay to be upset. Much like last week’s devotional thoughts on acknowledging when we feel overlooked, I think it is also healthy and good to let God know how impatient you are feeling. Jesus had ears to hear Jairus’ plea to come and help and He also heard the cry of the woman’s heart as she made a last-ditch effort after twelve years of waiting. When we have to wait, when dreams are deferred or chaos reigns, God sees us as we wring our hands and questions His motives. Prayer works. He listens and He responds, but I do believe we have to take the step to let Him into the struggle.
Second, it is important to remember that the blessing you might be waiting for does not negate the beauty of the present. When I walked out of the bathroom to head to church, I trust that my dad thought I was lovely in my fancy clothes, despite the time I made him wait. When Jairus might have been bouncing on tip toes trying to hustle Jesus through the crowds, I wonder if he was able to take a moment and marvel at the miracle that Jesus had just performed. When we are obsessed with making things play out the way we believe they should, we are in danger of missing out on the ways in which God is actually unfolding His grace right in front of us. Keep hoping and dreaming and praying, but don’t forget to cease pushing ahead from time to time to look around and pay attention.
Finally, read to the end of this story. Despite his moments with the bleeding woman, Jesus showed up to the girl’s beside with all the confidence in the cosmos. Verses 41 and 42 read:
“He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum!’ (which
means ‘Little girl, I say to you, get up!’). Immediately the girl stood up
and began to walk around (she was twelve years old).”
After all, he did tell them not to be afraid, but just believe.
When we are wrestling with God over His timing, may we remember His character. May we remember that He is gracious and kind and has a far better grasp on things than we ever will. May we remember the end of this story, when all of Jairus’ worst fears had come true, when the sand had all trickled to the bottom of the hourglass, Jesus delivered. He was not late at all.
I know that this is not anything new. A thousand sermons have been preached along similar lines, but I think it still rings true. We might never understand why God keeps us waiting, and we might never get what we are asking for, but when He does come through (and He is the God that always comes through, somehow), it will be beyond what we could have imagined.
Don’t be afraid; only believe.
Lindsey Funtik 