Today's Reading:
- Luke 8:40 - 9:6
- Psalm 71:1 - 24
Luke 8:40 - 9:6
Jesus traveled to the other side of the lake where he was met by a large crowd. A man named Jairus met Jesus at the shore and begged him to come heal his daughter, who was dying. Jesus and his disciples headed out to the home of Jairus.
Along the way, a woman who had bled for twelve years straight touched the robe of Jesus, because she knew if she could but touch it, she would be healed. When she touched the robe she was instantly healed -- and Jesus felt the healing power go into her. He praised her extreme faith, saying that it had made her well.
Jairus was met by a messenger that told him it was too late -- the daughter had died. Jesus told Jairus to have faith, and she would be healed. Jesus walked into the house and told the girl to get up, and miraculously she did.
Those two miraculous healings took place within a short time of each other. Although they were two entirely different problems -- one woman who couldn't stop bleeding, and a girl who had already died -- the result was the same. They were both healed by faith in Jesus.
I am a firm believer that miracles and healing can be achieved to this very day through the power of Jesus Christ. And I'm not just talking about healing while the person is still alive -- I believe that people can be raised from the dead. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that happens often, but I think in extreme cases it is possible -- especially when a child dies.
Take for instance this very recent case, where a 26 week old baby was stillborn. A baby born at 26 weeks has a small chance of survival as it is, but this one was declared dead by multiple doctors. Twelve hours after the baby died, the mother insisted on seeing the baby in the refrigerated morgue. There she found that her 26 week old, premature, freezing baby was still alive. Her response was: "I'm a believer. All of this was a miracle from God." Indeed it was truly a miracle from the Lord.
If faith alone can (on very very rare occasion) raise a person from the dead, healing from ordinary diseases should be easy. Healing from terminal illnesses isn't much of a stretch beyond that. Miracles are still very much occurring today. We don't need to see Jesus in person for a miracle to occur. We don't need to touch his robe. Faith is what is needed. These people (the woman and Jairus) came to Jesus because they had faith in him before they ever met him. So have faith and study the word of God. That's my plan anyway, so that if anything ever comes against my family, I will be equipped with all the bible has to say about that situation.
Psalm 71:1 - 24
This Psalm doesn't seem to be attributed to a single person. My study bible doesn't offer me a suggestion of who the author might have been. I don't think it was David because the psalm doesn't have the same extreme highs and lows that I am used to reading in the psalms of David.
This Psalm is similar to the psalms of David in that the writer is begging the Lord for help, begging that he not be abandoned to his enemies. The writer seems to be older (And now, in my old age, don't set me aside" verse 9), and he seems to have led a pretty straightforward life in God's favor until this point.
This Psalm might not have the extreme highs and lows of the psalms of David, but it is still a lovely example of true faith in the Lord. The writer knows that the Lord has been with him his entire life. He prays to God to be delivered from his enemies, and he praises the Lord over and over. He tells of how he always has praised the Lord, and how he will continue to praise the Lord, Psalms truly is a book of praise and worship to the Lord. It's certainly the book to turn to when you're struggling to get through hard times in your life.
