Wake me UP!

Jamming out to Natalie Grant today, God used her song Awaken to really speak to me. The Holy Spirit brought this to my memory and I went to read it. Normally I wouldn't pick such a long passage to talk about today, but what a passage…. I promise it will be worth it if you just hang with me through this one.

Mark 5:22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” 24 So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.

25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. 28 For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”

31 But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”

32 And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. 33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

35 While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” 37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. 39 When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.”

40 And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. 41 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. 43 But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.

I just want to point out a few things…

First, Jairus is not just anyone. He is a leader in the synagogue, well known and well off. His name means ‘Whom God Enlightens”, and as we study this passage we will see that he really was. This leader, a prominent man in the city and in the temple found Jesus, and throwing himself down before him, with a great crowd pressing all around, he besought, or called upon Him in exhortation and begged in many ways for Jesus to heal his daughter, who while they spoke was taking her last breath. “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.”

When we look at the Strong’s Concordance at the meaning of hands and live, Jairus essentially said “lay God’s hands, that created the universe and control the destiny of men, on her that she may be healed and will live a real life, full, worthy, active and blessed; endless in the Kingdom of God”. WOW! What a proclamation before all of the people!

What faith and insight into whom Christ was. What revelation! This moved Jesus to meet Jairus’ need. This moved GOD TO ACT! But then, in the middle of Jesus going to heal Jairus’ daughter, it seems like Jesus gets sidetracked. The woman with the issue of blood reaches out to touch his robe, and because her faith is great too Jesus stops and points out her faith for all to hear.(Sometimes our faith reaches out and grabs his attention when He isn’t really expecting it…seems like God like surprises) He could of kept going, but then this woman, who had an issue of blood for years that made her “unclean’ and therefore not allowed in public, would not have received the fullness of all God had for her. Jesus not only healed her, he announced her as whole, cleansed, and restored her to society. Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” God doesn’t do things halfway.

Meanwhile, Jairus received news. His daughter is dead. I don’t know about you, but I would be rocked to my core. That initial shock we all experience when we get news like this is usually followed by unbelief. Think about it. Have you ever immediately responded to news of a death with “I don’t believe it”? But Jesus!!!! He says “Do not be afraid, ONLY believe!” The meaning of that word is this: place your confidence, your trust, and your fidelity (loyalty) in God. Confidence is a part of our mind, will, and emotions (or soul); trust is a heart issue, and loyalty we express in the outward actions of the physical. In one word, Jesus grabs Jairus’ mind, heart and body. O He is faithful. This is the second main point I want to make: He does not leave us even in our darkest hour. He reminds us of WHO He is and WHAT we mean to Him. O how He loves us!

But that is not all! (I sound like an info commercial, but when you’re telling people about Jesus, it is hard to just stop at the good stuff, you have to get to the GREAT stuff!)

Next I want to touch on the circumstances surrounding Jairus when he gets home. Jesus has left all the crowds behind, and brought only a few of His disciples with Him, so that they can both bare witness and join their faith to what was about to happen. When they arrive professional mourners are in full wail, and Jairus’ home is inundated with unbelief. They are a ‘tumult” of activity. You know the kind of activity: noisy, distracting, made by people that think they are helping. These people are detractors, and left unchecked they will rob us of our miracle if we pay attention to them instead of what God says about our situation. DO NOT FORGET WHO IS IN CONTROL!

Jesus was that day and He still is today! He kicked all the well-intending naysayers out and got down to business on behalf of Jairus and his family. “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” That word, ARISE, means Wake UP! Stir yourself, and begin to build a life! She immediately responded. This is what our reaction should be to God when He speaks to us. When we do, the people around us will be astonished, as Jairus and his wife were.

The word astonished in this passage literally means thrown out of place, BLOWN AWAY! And wholly fixed on the DIVINE! When God does a work in us, when He “Awakens” us, and we obey immediately those around us, (and yes, even us), become Blown away by God, and we begin to fulfill what we were made for. To be lights, beacons on a hill: a conduit of God’s manifest love in our immediate little worlds that impact the people around us as they become fixed on the Divine in our lives.

So my prayer is this, (thanks Natalie Grant) “Awaken my heart, awaken my soul, awaken Your power and take control. Awaken a passion to live for You Lord, Awaken me.”

Be blessed and be a blessing, and remember awaken IS a verb.