How can we trust Jesus' timing when facing life's urgent situations? Setting the scene “While Jesus was still speaking, messengers came from the house of the synagogue leader: ‘Your daughter is dead,’ they said. ‘Why bother the Teacher anymore?’” (Mark 5:35) In the space of one sentence, Jairus’ desperate hope is pronounced dead. He had begged Jesus to hurry, yet an unexpected delay—Jesus pausing to heal a woman in the crowd (Mark 5:25-34)—seems to have cost his daughter’s life. We know the rest of the story: Jesus proceeds to the house and raises the girl (Mark 5:41-42). But standing in verse 35, all Jairus sees is a closed door. How do we trust Jesus’ timing when our own situations feel just as urgent? The crisis of delay • Jairus’ timeline: Hurry—my little girl is dying (Mark 5:23). • Jesus’ timeline: Stop, search the crowd, draw out the woman’s testimony. • Result: A report of death that looks final. • Tension: Faith collides with facts, and impatience whispers, “Why bother?” Why Jesus’ timing is always trustworthy • He sees the whole picture – “I declare the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10). – What feels like a detour to us is purposeful to Him. • His delays never mean indifference – “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise, as some understand slowness, but is patient with you” (2 Peter 3:9). – Love, not neglect, guided Jesus to linger long enough for a greater miracle. • He turns dead ends into stages for greater glory – Jairus asked for a healing; Jesus planned a resurrection. – Parallel: Jesus stayed two extra days when Lazarus was sick, “so that you may believe” (John 11:15). • He calls for faith, not frantic striving – “Do not be afraid; only believe” (Mark 5:36). – Trust shifts our focus from the clock to the Christ who controls the clock. • His authority transcends urgency – “My times are in Your hands” (Psalm 31:15). – If time itself is His servant, He cannot be late. How to embrace His timing in our own emergencies 1. Anchor in what is unchanging • Jesus’ character: good, faithful, powerful. • His word: always true (Numbers 23:19). 2. Surrender the timetable • Practical step: tell Him the need, then release the deadline. • Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to “trust in the LORD with all your heart … and He will make your paths straight.” 3. Refuse the lie that it’s “too late” • The cross looked final on Friday; resurrection proved otherwise. • Ephesians 3:20: He is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” 4. Look for growth in the waiting • Delays train perseverance (James 1:3-4). • Jairus’ faith muscle strengthened between verse 23 and verse 42. 5. Keep walking with Him, step by step • Jesus didn’t abandon Jairus; He kept moving toward the house. • Stay in fellowship—worship, Scripture, community—while you wait. Encouragement for today The same Jesus who spoke life back into Jairus’ daughter holds your moments, minutes, and decades. When circumstances shout, “Why bother?” remember: He has never lost track of time, and He has never lost one who trusts Him. Your urgent need is already woven into His perfect schedule, and His timing will prove—again—that He is worth the wait. |
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