Is Yours An Expectant Faith?

Have you ever watched the surfing contests in Hawaii? From what I read, surfing is all about the timing. The environment for surfing is dynamic with the waves, wind, and conditions constantly changing. It doesn't matter how long you spend in the water if you don't have the right timing. The best surfers make riding the waves seemed effortless.

Surfing is a lot like trusting God. You might remember a couple of weeks ago when I talked to the children about faith being the key to the power of God. Faith is maintaining trust in God's power and His timing. We may have the right theology but we might struggle to trust God because His plan doesn't line up with ours. Faith means maintaining our trust in God, even when He makes us wait. Have you ever had to wait on God?

This morning we are going to look at a couple of stories that have to do with waiting on Jesus. Our text will come from Luke 8:40-56. But first, let's pray.

Prayer

Luke 8:40-48 – “When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Just then, a man named Jairus came. He was a leader of the synagogue. He fell down at Jesus’s feet and pleaded with him to come to his house, 42 because he had an only daughter about twelve years old, and she was dying.

********While he was going, the crowds were nearly crushing him. 43 A woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years, who had spent all she had on doctors and yet could not be healed by any, 44 approached from behind and touched the end of his robe. Instantly her bleeding stopped.

********45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds are hemming you in and pressing against you.” 46 “Someone did touch me,” said Jesus. “I know that power has gone out from me.”

******** 47 When the woman saw that she was discovered, she came trembling and fell down before him. In the presence of all the people, she declared the reason she had touched him and how she was instantly healed. 48 “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

This story reminds me a little bit of some of the Sunday mornings I have experienced. I start to take care of something, and then something else comes up and then something else and I end up with a list to do before I know it. That’s what was happening in this scene with Jesus. Jesus hears the plea of Jairus to come to his house and heal his daughter because she is dying. Jesus agrees to go but immediately is interrupted by another incident.

Jairus was a leader in the synagogue and more than likely considered Jesus to be a blasphemer or a heretic. As a ruler of the synagogue, he was chosen by his peers, so we can assume that he enjoyed being popular in his town. But suddenly all of these accomplishments faded into the background.

His daughter was on the brink of death and it gave Jairus a completely different mindset. His theology seemed irrelevant now as he tried to make it fit into his current situation. So, he did want any good father would do. He threw out all of his prejudice and his pride, and his principles for the hope that Jesus is who He says He is.

In the middle of this happening, we find the story of the woman with the bleeding issue that touched the hem of Jesus's garment. We might think, wait a minute! One story at a time please. But the story of Jesus healing Jairus' daughter can't fully be understood without reading about the woman that Jesus healed on the way to Jairus's house.

We probably look at this as an interruption in what Jesus was about to do. But Jesus isn't inconvenienced by anything, and that includes us. He wants us to approach Him with our needs. No matter what the situation. Jesus wasn't too busy for this woman or for Jairus. That's because God is a Good Father who wants to meet our needs, and He's willing and able to meet them. So, what does God do? He invites us to ask Him for help without thinking that we are interrupting Him.

It's important to realize this woman's condition had disrupted every part of her life. The Bible tells us she had been suffering for 12 years, but as we read the story we may not understand the level of her struggle.

-she was ritually unclean and couldn't enter the temple.

-she was unable to marry because of her condition.

-she likely hadn't been hugged or touched for 12 years.