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Keep on Believing
Andrea Lende • August 31, 2020
Mark 5:36
Keep on Believing
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Keep-on-Believing-eisvda
Daily Word:
Mark 5:36
“Overhearing but ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear; only keep on believing.”
This was a life and death matter.
There was a ruler in the synagogue whose daughter was very sick.
He had asked Jesus to accompany him back to his house to heal her.
Before they had even gotten on their way, some people from his house met him to tell him of his daughter’s death.
Jesus was unshaken.
Jesus was unmoved.
He set Himself on the path to the man’s house and told him to not be afraid.
Jesus told him to simply, “keep on believing”.
He didn’t scold the people who had come from the house.
He didn’t try to tell them anything different.
He looked at the father, the one who was most invested in his daughter’s healing and told him to believe.
When they arrived at the house all the people were crying and mourning.
He told them to leave.
He wanted no interference or unbelief around as He was to perform this miracle.
Of course, we know that the little girl was healed.
Jesus ensured that only those who truly desired this little girl’s healing were present.
He would not tolerate any discord or lack of faith.
I believe this is a golden nugget that we need to learn as well.
When we are primed for a miracle, promised a miracle, we need to clear the room of all unbelief.
We need to ensure our inner circle believes along with us.
We need to be sure all those around us are in agreement with us.
There can be no unbelief or strife in the midst of our miracle.
Jesus demanded it thousands of years ago, and we need to demand it today in our lives as well.
Today I choose to believe in the Lord’s miracles and remain strong as I watch His promises come to pass.
May you find that the Lord is always true to His Word and His promises over your life and that you can remain steadfast in your belief.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for Your promises. Thank You for being the God of miracles still today. I read of Your wonderful works and watch You work in my life as well. You are Almighty and All-Powerful! You are Magnificent! You are Wonderful! You are greatly to be praised! Thank You for showing me about being strong in my belief. I pray that You will strengthen my faith and belief even more than it is today. Increase my faith in You, Lord. Help me believe even when all hope seems gone. Help me know that You will always come to my rescue. Help me know that You will always and forever be by my side. How is it that You, the One True God, cares about me so much? How is it that You can be working in every detail in my life and the lives of all people everywhere? You are the God of this universe and God of my heart. Help me surrender completely to You, Father. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM the Great I AM, and I AM working in every person and everything that you see, My child.
Response: You are the Almighty God and Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.