Week of January 11

A horrific tragedy occurred early New Year’s morning in Switzerland. Forty people, as of this writing, were killed in a deadly fire. Dozens of others were injured in the conflagration, some critically. News reports have begun to surface in recent days of families and friends who are understandably swamped by shock and grief. In a moment, in the blink of an eye, it seemed as though their entire lives were swept away by this calamity. 

I recall a music staple of many Christian camp meetings when I was a teen. We sang with great enthusiasm the song, “I’ll Fly Away,” with the words, “Some glad morning when this life is o’er, I’ll fly away. To a land on God’s celestial shore, I’ll fly away.” I understand the joy of departing this life and stepping into eternity with the Lord, but what about those who remain? I hardly believe that the families and friends of those Swiss Alpine victims felt like it was a “glad morning,” so what do we do when we are inundated by wave after wave of sorrow? Truly, some of you have awakened to grievous loss and rugged crosses to bear, and that song seems strangely out of touch with reality. It need not be so for us! Our focal passage today will help us to face life’s tragedies with triumphant hope.

A synagogue ruler named Jairus, who was responsible for arranging the synagogue for meetings, and probably leading the council of synagogue elders, had a 12-year-old daughter who was deathly ill (Luke 8:40-42). He arranged synagogue activities, but this father could not schedule his daughter’s healing. So, he was overcome with worry. One Bible scholar sees evidence of his distraught state because Jesus had just returned from “pig and demon” country, yet Jairus did not question whether Jesus was kosher (HNTC). The child’s illness had eclipsed all other temporal realities. Nothing else matters when your helpless little one is sick to the point of death! We may see here just how two-thirds of the world lives every single day. There were no “medical marvels” or technological gizmos then that could restore that little girl to health. For Jairus, it was Jesus or death! This is the point Luke makes to his readers. Jesus has power over sickness and the grave because He is God.

Pause to examine your own spiritual readiness for tragedy. The synagogue ruler humbles himself, even though he is a ruler (8:41; “falling at Jesus’ feet”). He jettisons any pride he may hold in his heart and throws himself down at Jesus’ feet (see Matthew 5:3). His precious one-and-only daughter was just reaching marriageable age and had her whole life before her. Yet, this daddy saw that she and her future were being torn away. Therefore, he believed in Jesus’ ability to work a transformation. Many of you will know that I have spent much of my ministry working with those who face these types of illnesses. Their families and I felt the same way about their loved ones. We trusted Jesus with every bit of our belief. Even so, some lived, while many died (see 8:49). We know and believe in a resurrection to come (see John 11:23-24), but we are grievously disappointed when restoration does not immediately occur (cf. 8:49). It’s hard to fly away when you are free falling into death’s dark abyss. You may be thinking, “Please, get us out of this downer today.” Well, I cannot, but Jesus will!

Trust Jesus, the author of life, come what may. Most Bible scholars do not believe that Luke was connecting Jairus’ name, which means “God will awaken,” to the ultimate miracle of awakening this child from the dead. We may, however, make the spiritual connection that Jesus was about to open the eyes of those who would believe to see His Divine authority over sickness and the grave (cf. 8:25; “Who then is this?”). Luke wants us to place our full faith in this Savior who sustains us even when circumstances cannot be controlled. Most of us will know this truth, but how do we come to this type of faith? Jesus’ actions at that child’s bedside literally tore open a hole in this temporal sphere and allowed those gathered to see what all eternity knows—that He is not the resuscitator, but the Resurrection! We may die, but we must be raised ultimately from the grave (read and believe, 1 Corinthians 15:53-58)! The scene in that little girl’s room is our promise that we, whose faith is placed in Christ, will indeed “Fly away!”

I was visiting with my 94-year-old mother on one occasion, and the subject of storms came up. She told me of the hurricanes that struck our hometown of Houston when she was a little girl, but there was no advance warning system at that time to help people prepare. I asked her what they did when the cyclones arrived. She said they did the best they could to secure the house and survive the storm. My mother also told me about the Sunday church service where she, a nine-year-old girl, trusted Jesus as her Savior and Lord. I sincerely believe that her total preparation has enabled her to live with joy through all the tempests of life. Whether it is a natural or human calamity, securing our spiritual houses and weathering the storms is made possible by our attachment to Christ. Yes, on some glad morning we will fly away to Jesus, but in the meantime, we cling to Him in the wind and rain of life’s storms.

Here are some reminders about “Who” Jesus is and how we can respond.

First, Jesus shows us that He cares for human lives. Little girls, like grown women, were not considered to be valuable in Jesus’ day. He changed that reality for the better.

Secondly, we are finite, so we will certainly face circumstances beyond our control. Tragedy so often broadsides us, like it did that day in Jairus’ life, at the crossroads of life and death. The lesson to be learned is that we are not invincible. We all need help that enables us to transcend our physical and spiritual frailties. Daily life begs a life-altering decision. Make certain your trust is placed in Christ.

Thirdly, make the right decision. Jairus’ crisis transcended the administration of the synagogue. His daughter was dying and that was the business to which he must attend. Luke shows us that Jairus made a choice that both saw the little girl restored to life and brought eternal life to all who would believe (Luke 8:50). He sought out Jesus, who was able to heal his daughter and who had come into the world to heal sinners and give them everlasting life. Luke wants us to run to the Savior even when hope runs dry, because He is our Help.

1. I know many of you who read this devotional each day. In many cases, I know the deep path of sorrow you must walk. I do not simply pen a devotional for all of you. I pray over you and your families by name to know Christ’s peace.* 

What sorrow(s) do you bear today? Believe me, it/they cannot be too large for the Savior to bear. Throw yourself at His feet this day and pour out your heart to Him. He cares.

2. For Families: As your kids gear up to go back to school, this is a good time for a check up to see about what they are feeling. Are they afraid? Do they worry? Are there other children or situations in their classes about whom or which they are concerned?
 
This is a time to gather the children and hold them close, to pray over them, to encourage them to pour out their concerns to the One who specializes in helping us! This is who God is. Your home can be the safe place for your children, and even their friends, to unload their burdens and share their troubled hearts. You can take their sorrows together to God, and then watch to see how He answers your prayers.

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock

*The Baptist Center for Global Concerns’ mission statement is to offer Christ’s peace to every human life with whom we come into contact. This devotional ministry is one way that we share the peace. We also have a ministry which we call CenterPrayer. If you have prayer needs, simply send them to us by email ([email protected]).