COURAGE IN IMPOSSIBILITIES

When Jairus, a Jewish religious leader, fell at the feet of Jesus and earnestly pleaded for the healing of his dying daughter, he took a significant risk with his career and status as the leader of a local synagogue. Despite the potential consequences, his desperation for his daughter's healing drove him to seek help from Jesus. The synagogue is a place of worship for the Jews. As a leader of a local synagogue, he was considered a notable and prominent person in his town. At this time, the religious leaders were against Jesus because he was breaking their religious traditions and exposing their hypocrisy. They wanted to stop Jesus and tried to destroy his credibility; however, they couldn't refute all the miracles that He had been performing, such as healing people. The religious leaders were always looking for opportunities to destroy Jesus. Yet, when Jairus needed a miracle for his daughter's healing, he left everything behind and sought Jesus regardless of the consequences.  

Jairus exemplified courage in impossible situations. When his status, wealth, religion, and education couldn't help him anymore, he turned to the only one who could: Jesus, the Son of God. Despite his fear, he went to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, "Don't be afraid. Just have faith" (Mark 5:36). Courage is the ability to act in the face of fear, pain, uncertainty, or danger. It didn't mean that Jairus was not afraid, but he didn't allow his fear to stop him from going to Jesus to save his daughter. He was willing to do anything for his daughter. We may be going through a difficult situation right now. What Jesus is encouraging us to do today is to be courageous. Let us not allow fear to stop us from moving forward because when we put our faith in our Lord Jesus, He will take care of us. It doesn't mean that we are not afraid or worried anymore, but we are not allowing our emotions to stop us from doing what is right in the eyes of our God. 

Let us be courageous in doing what is right in God's eyes today because we have a God we can trust, and nothing is impossible for Him. Let us put our faith in Jesus, just as Jairus did. If we lack courage, let us ask God to give us courage, and by faith, God will give us the courage that we need. 

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) What is courage? What should I do if I lack courage? Is there anything that I need to do today that I have been putting off because of fear? What should I do to move forward? 

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for encouraging me this morning to be courageous in doing what is right in your eyes. Please continue to give me the courage that I need. Please do not let my fear and worries stop me from moving forward. I put my faith in you and trust that you will take care of all my concerns. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.