"Hush Child, God Ain't Dead!"

A pastor wrote:

"Some time ago I saw a picture of an old burned-out mountain shack. All that remained was the chimney...the charred debris of what had been that family’s sole possession. In front of this destroyed home stood an old grandfather-looking man dressed only in his underclothes with a small boy clutching a pair of patched overalls. It was evident that the child was crying.

Beneath the picture were the words which the artist felt the old man was speaking to the boy. They were simple words, yet they presented a profound theology and philosophy of life. Those words were, "Hush child, God ain’t dead!" That vivid picture of that burned - out mountain shack, that old man, the weeping child, and those words "God ain’t dead" keep returning to my mind. Instead of it being a reminder of the despair of life, it has come to be a reminder of hope! I need reminders that there is hope in this world. In the midst of all of life’s troubles and failures, I need mental pictures to remind me that all is not lost as long as God is alive and in control of His world.1

God is indeed in control. And that control is seen in our gospel lesson this morning.

A man named Jairus was in a desperate way. His little girl lay dying.

Jairus was faced with the trouble of sickness. He had tried everything,doctors hod come and gone. The priests had come, but their prayers were unanswered. Jairus was in a desperate situation.

Then he thought about Jesus. No doubt he had heard Jesus preach in his own synagogue. No doubt he had heard of the many miracles Jesus performed like healing Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, or the man who had been lowered through the ceiling and healed on his bed. No doubt he had even heard about the miracle of Jesus calming the sea the night before.

So, Jairus thought, maybe this preacher can help me. Maybe I can swallow my pride, and try this one more thing. His hopelessness probably was turning to confidence, to faith, to trust in Jesus as he made his way to find Jesus.

Jairus sought out this wandering preacher, this son of a carpenter, this religious fanatic, this Jesus of Nazareth, this one who claimed to be from God, even God’s Son.

Jairus had faith enough to turn to Jesus in his encounter with trouble. He had faith enough to place the well-being of his girl into Jesus’ hands.

Christ became Jairus’ hope. And Christ did deliver.

Even when the messenger came to say that the girl had died Jesus said "Do not fear, only believe." Jesus gave Jairus hope. Even when the mourners laughed at Jesus, Jesus still gave hope to Jarius .He asked everyone to step outside, then Jesus took the hand of the girl and said, "Little girl, I say to you arise.’’

And immediately, the girl rose from her bed. The hope, the trust, that had been placed in Jesus was well founded.. He did deliver the girl. He did deliver this family from this moment of trouble.

So with us as we face the troubles of life. It is to Christ we must turn. It is to Christ the one who can deliver, the one who can ease our burden, who can shoulder our sorrow, who can walk with us through the valley.