I have met many people who WANT their prayers answered….but don’t DEMONSTRATE the faith for their prayers TO be answered. I often tell people that God is not a cosmic vending machine, “put in a prayer and out pops the answer you wanted”. I have even met people who WANT….but won’t even pray. I told one friend that the first step to getting a job was to pray. His answer to me was, “You will be the first person I come to Jan if I decide to pray”. Three months later he still doesn’t have a job, just sayin’…..
Mark 5:21-25 (TNIV)
21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years.
The key to answered prayer is faith. I see two different ways to view this as illustrated in these Scriptures (as well as all over the Bible). One is through understanding exactly what “FAITH” is; the other is through looking closely at the response of Jarius, the synagogue leader.
WHAT IS FAITH? St. Thomas Aquinas, the great theologian from the 11th century, defines faith this way (I have added some separation to make it clearer): “Faith is the act of the intellect…….. when it assents to divine truth…….. under the influence of the will……… moved by God through grace”
1. Faith opens the door to the power of God, indeed, Jesus: You see, just like Jarius or the woman above (she ultimately will find healing through Jesus), WE are utterly powerless and we need the power of our creator, Jesus, indeed, the power of God to intervene. Jesus says in Mark 5:34 to the woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, “…your faith has healed you…..”.
2. Faith shows persistence in overcoming any obstacles: we must recognize that Jarius, the synagogue leader, was not at that time a follower of Jesus but was actually affiliated with those who were seeking to discredit Jesus. But Jarius showed a persistence, he was desperate and heart sick…yet he sought Jesus in the midst of an intimidating crowd, despite his fear, and acknowledges Jesus’ power to heal. I can only imagine the mocking and scorn he may have faced from the other Jewish leaders.
3. Faith is embodied in action! Faith is something that can be seen. Faith kneels, faith cry’s out, faith reaches out in action. Faith steps out and does what is needed!
To sum it up, the first step is to trust God, indeed Jesus, with the outcome. The second step is to persistently seek the answer, and the third step is to go out and be a part of the answer.
Now, let’s look closer at the role of Jarius and how he personified faith (thank you William Barclay for some clear insight here):
1. His prejudices were forgotten: As a synagogue leader, he must have regarded Jesus as an outsider, a dangerous heretic, someone to avoid. I see this in many people hearts today….avoid Jesus any way you can. What does prejudice mean? It means “to judge beforehand”. In other words, to judge before you really know, before the evidence has even been examined.
2. His dignity was forgotten: He was the ruler of the synagogue….yet he threw himself at the feet of Jesus , recognizing that he was himself powerless but that Jesus could heal. Sometimes we have to lose our dignity to save our life and to save our soul!
3. His pride was forgotten: It had to have taken a very conscious effort for this leader of the synagogue to come out to ask Jesus for help. Yet he let go of his pride and humbled himself .
4. Lastly, it may be speculation, but it seems his friends were forgotten also: William Barclay says it best, “It is often the case that we are wisest when our worldly-wise friends think we are acting like fools.” So, maybe you think your friends will jeer if you go to Jesus. I say…..go ahead and jeer…the jokes on you!
The key is…at some point we need to stop measuring our faith, we should stop thinking so hard and we should simply exercise our faith, in love and in humility…..this ultimately is an exercise in STRENGTH!
God, indeed Jesus, is not a cosmic vending machine! He is real and wants a relationship with you!