Body

Devotions

“Lord, Give Me Faith”

David Wilkerson

When Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, heard that his beloved daughter had died, he faced one final test of his faith. He was forced to look death right in the face. Imagine the chaos and confusion in his home when he and Jesus arrived. I see Jairus’ wife collapsing into his arms, crying, “Where have you been? It’s too late. Our precious daughter is gone!”

As was the custom of that day, paid professional mourners were weeping and wailing at the scene. Yet when Jesus saw it all, He said to the gathering, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping” (Mark 5:39). What was their reaction? “They ridiculed Him” (Mark 5:40).

Beloved, this scene illustrates what the Lord asks of us all. We are to walk straight into our place of confusion, with death, terror and mockery staring us down, and obey this word: “Be not afraid, only believe!”

We don’t know whether Jairus’ faith held strong or if his heart was crushed with fear. We only know that all were astounded by what took place next. Jesus took the dead girl by the hand and said, “Little girl, I say to you, arise. Immediately the girl arose and walked” (5:41–42).

We are to remind ourselves of Jesus’ words time and time again — in the face of hopelessness and death, when all possibilities are over and nothing can be done: “Do not be afraid. Only believe.” You may say, “But when I’m in pain, I don’t have the strength to believe. I’m too weak, too overwhelmed.” Even after many years have passed since meeting the Lord, we will still find ourselves praying, “Lord, You have to put faith in me. I can’t believe on my own.” But know that the Holy Spirit is faithful to do that work. He will never fail to do it. We must stand on God’s Word — in spite of all pain and grief, in spite of all weakness of flesh, as Jairus and the bleeding woman did.

Never Too Late for God to Work

David Wilkerson

Has there been a delay in the answer to your prayer? Do you see others around you getting victories, being touched and healed, having miracles happen — yet you helplessly stand by in your suffering? Do you get impatient or angry with God, crying, “Why not me, Lord? Where is my miracle? Why is it delayed?” If so, you are missing the point altogether. The Lord is trying to build up your faith. He wants you to move into confidence in Him no matter what delays may come. He is showing you He can be at work healing thousands around you and still have His eye on you!

When Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood, Jairus, who was walking beside Him, might have been able to hear His amazing words to the bleeding woman: “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction” (Mark 5:34). On the other hand, I doubt Jairus heard any of it, because a messenger came running toward him with a chilling report: “Your daughter is dead” (5:35).

Oh, what lies Satan must have whispered into Jairus’ ear: “All this has been in vain. Jesus can do nothing for you.” Then came the piercing words of the messenger: “Why trouble the Master any further?” Think of what was being said to Jairus here: “It’s no use. It’s too late for God to work. Thanks, Jesus, but no thanks. You waited too long to help.”

Doubts and anguish filled Jairus’ heart. “You trusted this Jesus but He can’t help you. It’s time for you to get back to the synagogue.”

Yet Jesus heard everything that was going on. As He saw the fear, despair and grief on Jairus’ face, He told him, “Be not be afraid; only believe” (5:36). I believe Christ was saying to that crowd and to us today: “It is not enough to walk with Me, call on Me and fall at My feet in repentance. You must trust in Me. You must believe I can bring life out of death.”

Jesus Responds to a Simple Touch

David Wilkerson

As Jesus was walking with Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue in Capernaum, to his home to heal his daughter, they were met by a woman who suffered from chronic hemorrhaging. For twelve years this woman had bled nonstop and was dying a slow death. Luke, a physician, wrote that she “had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any” (Luke 8:43).

The Jewish law declared such a woman “ceremonially unclean.” This woman saw many doctors, all who took her money and made promises to cure her, but after every appointment, she went home discouraged and her disease kept growing worse. At some point this woman must have thought, “It’s no use. My condition is hopeless. I’m going to keep suffering until I slowly die.”

Sadly, multitudes of Christians are doing just what this woman did. They run to any place that offers an answer and live under a cloud of fear because of their “uncleanness.” Perhaps this describes you. You’ve lived with a besetting sin for so long, you think, “What about my awful history of sin? If Jesus heals completely, then surely there’s something wrong with me. I don’t belong in the church. It’s a holy place, and I’m not clean.”

In Mark 5, we see this suffering woman reaching out one more time, persistent and full of hope. But this time, instead of seeing a physician who could not cure her, she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. As she touched Him, the Lord and Maker of heaven and earth paused for a moment and healed her instantly! He wanted to use that moment to publicly remove her reproach and show her that her faith healed her. Jesus wanted to relieve this woman of her sense of defilement.

Press in with faith and touch Jesus for yourself, as this woman did. He will heal you. If you are heavy with a grieving heart, unburden yourself to Jesus. Then commit all into His hands. Fear not, only believe!

I Have Learned the Secret

Gary Wilkerson

“I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret” (Philippians 4:12, ESV).

The Holy Spirit gives us the secret of learning how to live when life is less than we want it to be; when we don’t have the resources that we thought we should have; when our dreams have not come true. Paul was saying, “I not only know that I can endure all things, but I have a secret and this secret is that I can live fully in times of plenty as well as times of hunger.”

How many of you know that sometimes we need to understand the secret of plenty more than the secret of hunger? When you’re living in abundance it is very easy to lose sight of your need for God. If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, you become very dependent on the Holy Spirit. You are really praying. 

We often think that the hard part for Paul was learning how to live in need. No, I think the hard part for Paul was learning how to live when he had abundance and I think the same can be true for us. But there’s this precious promise here that surpasses all our understanding. The promise that we can do all things through Christ and every need can be met. This additional promise is in verse 19, where we read, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory” (Philippians 4:19).

Again, this is in the context of saying, “I’m learning how to be abased. I’m learning how to go without anything and even in the midst of that, I know that God is going to supply every need.” It does not say want. It does not say ambition. It does not even say desire. It says, “God will supply every need.”

Agreeing with God

Carter Conlon

As Christians, we tend to spend a lot of time praying, “Please, Lord, do this” or “Please, Lord, do that.” We are constantly asking God to initiate something. “Please bring my son or daughter home. Please give me a better job.”

Now those are good and valid prayers. However, there are times when God chooses to initiate something on His own, and all He is looking for is someone who will agree with Him — someone who will not only pray, “Please, Lord” but “Yes, Lord!”

For example, through the prophet Ezekiel, God said, “I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one” (Ezekiel 22:30). This was a time when God had already initiated mercy, and He was just looking for somebody to agree with Him. Unfortunately, when society reaches a condition much like ours today, it is a lot easier to come up with reasons as to why judgment should come. However, what if God is willing to be merciful, and He is simply seeking for some among His people who will say, “Yes, Lord”?

I do not want to spend all my prayer life on the “Please, Lord” side. I want to live on the “Yes, Lord” side and find out what my part is! “Yes, Lord, what do You want me to do? Yes, Lord, how do You want me to do it? Yes, Lord, what do You want me to say? Yes, Lord, where do You want me to go?” “Yes, Lord” must be our prayer today!

Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 at the invitation of the founding pastor, David Wilkerson, and was appointed Senior Pastor in 2001.