09/08/2026
What do we do when our hope is deferred?
In this one off message, our friend and church member Russell Byrd takes us into Mark 5 and the story of Jairus, a synagogue leader whose daughter was dying. Jairus came to Jesus, fell at His feet, and pleaded with Him to come and heal his daughter. Jesus went with him.
But on the way, everything seemed to get more complicated.
A woman who had been suffering for twelve years reached out and touched Jesus' cloak, and she was healed.
For Jairus, this could have been incredibly discouraging. He was already waiting for his own miracle, and now Jesus had stopped to respond to someone else's need.
Then came the devastating news:
“Your daughter is dead. Why bother the teacher anymore?”
But Jesus' response was simple:
“Don't be afraid; just believe.”
Russell uses this story to challenge the way we respond when our hope has been delayed, when someone else receives the breakthrough we've been praying for, and when circumstances convince us that it's time to stop believing.
The message asks us to consider:
• Have I truly fallen at the feet of Jesus?
• Have I allowed Jesus into every part of my life, or only the parts I'm comfortable giving Him?
• Have I mistaken someone else's breakthrough for evidence that God has forgotten me?
• Have I allowed disappointment to convince me that my hope is dead?
• What would it look like to trust Jesus even when I don't understand His timing?
One of the central reminders from the message is this:
Someone else's healing is proof of His power, not proof of your denied request.
God is not running out of compassion. His faithfulness isn't limited by our circumstances, and Jesus doesn't abandon us when the answer takes longer than we expected.
The challenge as we leave is simple:
Don't give up.
If you've already made peace with something being broken, dead, or impossible, give Jesus the opportunity to disrupt the funeral.
Fall at His feet.
Trust that He wants to go with you.
And keep believing.
