"Do not be afraid; only believe." (Mark 5:36 NKJV)
Components of Faith #5
Component #5 -- Unwavering Perseverance -- (Mark 5:38-40) "Then he came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. When he came in, he said to them, 'Why make this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead, but sleeping." And they ridiculed him."
Unwavering perseverance means standing firm; it means not giving in or giving up; it means that no matter what happens we go through it. No matter what the problem is, no matter how rough it gets, if the God of the Bible is our God and our sincerest belief is that he is the Almighty, All Knowing, All powerful; able to do all things, creator of the universe, then we press forward knowing he is going to bring us through it. We do not turn to the right or the left but walk straight, in lock step with Jesus, just as Jairus did.
Can you imagine the emotions he felt, the weakness that was just waiting to overtake him, as he approached his house and saw his family and friends weeping and wailing loudly over the death of his daughter. The scene was so hectic that the Bible calls it a tumult, an uproar. Imagine what that must have felt like. Then imagine what Jairus must have thought when Jesus told the people that the child wasn't dead, but sleeping and to hear them ridicule Jesus in response. I mean, in a natural mindset, the ridicule could have seemed justified. The child had died and they knew it. Jairus, however, was not in a natural mindset and he knew something different.
He knew that he had been promised something by the one who was able to do the impossible. It didn't matter to him what he encountered when he reached his house; it did not matter what anyone else said or thought; he was going to persevere in Jesus, without wavering, until the end. Jesus was leading and Jairus was following; while everyone else may have though Jesus to be a fool, Jairus knew him to be the Lord. Now that is true belief.
So today is the day that we believe like Jairus. Today and every day after this one we approach our Lord fully convinced that he is and that he is able; we approach in humble submission, prepared to be faithfully patient, rooted in iron clad trust, and determined to persevere without wavering. We do this knowing that it is a part of God's will for our lives and that he has enabled us to believe like this through the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.
Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, sustain and strengthen the faith of your children. Daily we face events that challenge our belief in your promises. Help us to persevere in faith. Amen.
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