May 6-10

And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet… And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. – Mark 5:21-22, 24 ESV

Divine Appointments: Jesus is Available
Often when a child is learning to roller skate you can see the parents put their little ones on skates for the first time. Mom and Dad skate with their child, holding onto his or her hands, sometimes with the child’s feet on the ground and sometimes in the air. But all the time the parents are alongside and encouraging.

In Mark 5, Jarius begs Jesus to come alongside and help him by healing his daughter. The Greek word used for begging, in this instance, can include the idea of giving help or aid but the primary sense in the New Testament is to urge someone to take some action, especially some ethical course of action. This is the picture of a father begging Jesus to come and heal his daughter. You can almost hear Jairus saying, “My 7th grader is dying, my only daughter!” In verse 24 Jesus goes with him even though He is surrounded by others who want Him. ,

Reflection
Reflect on a time when you have been desperate for Jesus to help a family member or friend. Jesus always hears true prayer. His answers vary but He is always available.

Praise/Prayer
Thank God for always being attentive to your cries for help. Ask the Holy Spirit to come alongside and help you or others get through any difficult circumstances you are currently facing.

And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. – Mark 5:24-26 ESV

Divine Appointments: In Spite of the Chaos
A doctor, an engineer, and a politician were arguing about which profession was older. “Well,” argued the doctor, “without a physician mankind could not have survived, so I am sure that mine is the oldest profession.” “No,” said the engineer, “before life began there was complete chaos, and it took an engineer to create some semblance of order from this chaos. So engineering is older.” “But,” chirped the triumphant politician, “who created the chaos?” (Source Unknown).

The second miracle Jesus performs in this section of Scripture is also in the midst of chaos. The large crowd pressing into Jesus continued to press in from all sides. The woman in the crowd, in verse 25, was experiencing chaos physically, emotionally, mentally, relationally, maternally, financially, and spiritually. And amid the chaos, she has an appointment with Jesus that forever changes her life.

Reflection
When was the last time you felt like your life was chaotic? What are some things you can do to slow down and remember the presence of God in your chaos?

Praise/Prayer
When things don’t go as planned, say a quick prayer that goes something like this: “God, help me not be irritated so I can see the appointment you have for me in this situation.”

And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” – Mark 5:30 ESV

Divine Appointments: Jesus Stays Attentive
An unexpected delay in New York providently kept a Christian from catching Flight 191 in Chicago, which crashed with all 254 aboard. At the same time, one of God’s great saints ran to make Flight 191—and made it!” His name was Edward E. Elliott, a beloved pastor of Garden Grove Orthodox Presbyterian Church in California. As I thought about Pastor Elliott’s fruitful ministry, there was a question in my mind: “Was Divine providence operating only in New York and not in Chicago?” Immediately the words of the friend came alive: “At the time, Reverend Elliott didn’t know he was indeed running to his appointed time in Heaven.” (Charles Swindoll, Growing Strong).

God is always at work and never stops looking out for His people. The outcomes may not be what we expect but no situation in our lives goes unnoticed by God. In Mark 5:30 when the woman got on her knees to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, He knew and He healed her. He was surrounded by some many trying to crowd in and touch Him. Jesus is never too busy to stop and heal someone.

Reflection
You can come to church week after week and “bump into” Jesus. That isn’t the same as reaching out to touch Him in faith. “It is not every contact with Christ that saves men; it is the arousing of yourself to come near to him, the determinate, the personal, resolute, believing touch of Jesus Christ which saves.” (Spurgeon)

Praise/Prayer
Thank God for knowing every detail of your life even down to the number of hairs on your head. Reach out in faith and touch Jesus today and ask for healing where you need it.

While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” – Mark 5:35 ESV

Divine Appointments:  In Times of Crisis
Test pilots have a litmus test for evaluating problems. When something goes wrong, they ask, "Is this thing still flying?" If the answer is yes, then there's no immediate danger, no need to overreact. When Apollo 12 took off, the spacecraft was hit by lightning. The entire console began to glow with orange and red trouble lights. There was a temptation to "Do Something!" But the pilots asked themselves, "Is this thing still flying in the right direction?" The answer was yes--it was headed for the moon. They let the lights glow as they addressed the individual problems and watched orange and red lights blink out, one by one. That's something to think about in any pressure situation. If your thing is still flying, think first, and then act.  (Capt. Alan Bean, USN, Apollo Astronaut, in Reader's Digest).

While Jesus was still speaking servants came and interrupted Him with a crisis. Jesus does not rebuke them for interrupting Him. The sensitivity of Jesus to the needs of the moment is clear. They were panicking but Jesus was not in a panic. They were worried about bothering or troubling Jesus but their crisis was no trouble for Him.

Reflection
Coming to Jesus with your crisis doesn’t bother Him. Often God uses crisis to get us to come to Him when nothing else is working. However, don’t wait for a crisis before you commit yourself to Christ.

Praise/Prayer
Reflect on a time of crisis in your life when you know Jesus showed up and got you through. Ask God to increase your intimacy with Him right now before you even go through another crisis.

Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” – Mark 5:41 ESV

Divine Appointments: Jesus Shows Authority
Pastor John MacArthur writes: When as a young man D. L. Moody was called upon to preach a funeral sermon, he began to search the gospels to find one of Jesus’ funeral messages—only to discover that He never preached one. He found instead that Jesus broke up every funeral He attended by raising the dead person back to life. When the dead heard His voice, they immediately came to life. Arthur Brisbane has pictured the funeral of a Christian as a crowd of grieving caterpillars, all wearing black suits. As they crawl along mourning their dead brother and carrying his cocoon to its final resting place, above them flutters an incredibly beautiful butterfly, looking down on them in utter disbelief.

In Mark 5:41, Jesus commands, “Little girl” or “little lamb arise.” McKenna writes, “Jesus’ authority, tough with wild winds and raging demons, becomes as tender as a shepherd lifting the littlest of lambs.” Before that, Jesus gave two commands, first for him to stop fearing and the second for him to be believing. With these dual commands, Jesus gives us His "antidote" for fear, and that antidote is belief. And then Jesus promised, “She will be made well.”
 
Reflection
Identify a situation in which you need to stop fearing and start believing. What about Jesus’ authority can give you peace in that situation?


Praise/Prayer
Praise Jesus for having all authority and power in heaven and on earth. Ask Jesus to move you from fear to faith.