Only Believe!

I am amazed at our Lord’s loving response to grief. As I read the Bible, I see that nothing stirs the heart of God more than the soul that is overcome with grief.

Grief is defined as “deep sorrow” or “sadness caused by extreme distress.” Isaiah tells us the Lord himself is acquainted with this most wrenching emotion: “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3).

We see a powerful example of God’s loving response to grief in Mark 5, where we read of Jesus’ encounter with Jairus, a synagogue ruler.

As president of the synagogue in Capernaum, Jairus was part of a religious system that had rejected Jesus. We don’t know what Jairus personally thought about Christ, but we do know he had witnessed his healing power. It was most likely in Jairus’ synagogue that Christ healed a man’s withered hand. And Jairus was probably among the crowds when Jesus cast out evil spirits and heard them cry, “You are the Son of God” (Mark 3:11).

We find that grief had come to the ruler’s house. His twelve-year-old daughter lay in bed, sick “at the point of death” (Mark 5:23).

Grief alone had driven Jairus to Jesus. The fact is, we serve a Savior who responds lovingly to our every hurt, pain and grief. We all have done what Jairus did. In times past we have forgotten the Lord, neglected him, perhaps even rejected him. Yet the question our God is most concerned with is this: “Where are you with me right now? In your present grief, will you call on me?”

Dear saint, Jesus is present with you in your battle. You can press in and touch him and experience the resurrecting, healing power of Christ, just as Jairus did. He is walking beside you through it all and he has a plan to bring you out of death and into life. Fear not — only believe!