How do we react when people despise or ridicule our hopes?
This is the heart of faith. The heart of our relationship with God is the key here. Either we decide to see with the eyes of the world, to let the mockers pull us away from our relationship with God, or we come to God with our shaken hope that needs to be revived or redirected.
We cannot live without hope, it is part of the fabric of humanity. When all hope disappears, true humanity vanishes and sadness destroys.
The synagogue ruler, Jairus, came to Jesus with the last remnant of hope for his daughter. He came to Jesus as the last one who could help. Jesus accepted to come, yet it seemed too late.
The news was already coming that Jairus’ daughter had died. Yet, Jesus did not pay attention to this piece of news and instead pressed on. This attitude, when it is not bathed in an intimate relationship with God, can announce foolishness and unnecessary added pains. Yet, when it is forged in the midst of a real walk with God, learning to listen to His voice in all we say and all we do, with a tender and obedient heart, then nothing is impossible. Even death has to bow down in front of the all-surpassing love of God. This was the case with the daughter of Jairus. Jesus would bring life where there was no more hope, he would bring laughter where only pain and tears ruled.
Three years ago, one of my colleagues, Gavin, was stretched by God to believe in the impossible, praying for a man that seemed death. Was he dead, was he not? What was sure is that everyone around was crying and wailing, like in the story of Jairus’ daughter. Gavin came, pulled by two of the children of this man, and following the promptings of the Holy Spirit he prayed for him, and saw the man raise to life and glorify the name of Jesus. Out of this miracle a church came to life. You can read about this story here:
http://engagemagazine.com/content/ask-my-name
Does it mean that we also can see such miracles in our lives today? Yes.
Does it mean that all we want to see will happen? Probably not.
Here, humility is key. So often, we confuse our hope and God’s voice. Pride can lead us to be angry at God for not doing what we wanted him to do, for mistakenly believing it was God’s voice who spoke of miracle. Then, this same pride will tell us to stop trying to listen to God and rather limit ourselves to go to church and forget about these impossible miracles, or in some extreme cases to altogether reject faith in God. If you observe what happens in such journeys, it is often our humility that is lacking. Humility implies that we recognize we can make mistakes, that we are learning and therefore that failure is part of the landscape.
Are we ready to let the Holy Spirit shape our hopes and to follow His leading? Or do we rather want the Spirit of God to just breathe life in our dead projects? God’s Spirit is like a free bird, like a light breeze that blows but cannot be controlled by us. Either we learn to recognize where the Spirit is leading, or hopes will often be broken and destroyed. The one lesson we are invited to learn in this world is to discern the direction of the Spirit and to follow His direction. Then, hopes will receive life, struggles will bring beautiful fruits.
As humans, we don’t want failure and we don’t want to be told what to do. Yet, if we want success, long-lasting success, we will have to learn to bow down with our own will in front of the living God and to receive guidance from Him. Then, as a tree planted by the streams of water that brings its fruit in its time, all we do will succeed. This is the crazy promise that God gives in texts like Psalm 1.
Are we ready to learn to develop this intimate and obedient relationship with God, so that we see miracles of God’s love bloom on our path?
Do we want to see joy wipe the tears of many Jairus during our lives?
Do we want this strongly enough that we take the steps to learn to bow down our wills, to die to our selfish desires and let God breathe His life-giving Spirit in us?
This is the full sanctification that Jesus came to earth to announce and to embody. This is the listening attitude to the Spirit of God that he came to teach us.
Out of this comes the resurrected life that is our hope and promise in Jesus.
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