Keith Chandler, Journey Christian Church
When you look at the life of Jesus, many of the people that he encountered were in desperate situations. There is something about desperation that makes you open to God. It’s only when you’re desperate that you experience Gods deliverance.
In Mark 4, Jesus has been with his disciples on the Sea of Galilee, and this terrible storm comes out of nowhere. Jesus is exhausted from his day’s work, and he’s asleep on a cushion on the boat during this storm. The disciples interpret this as Jesus not caring. “Jesus, don’t you care?” This is really the question we have for Jesus when we go through things like this.
Jesus gets up and wipes the sleep out of his eyes and the wind and the waves calm down and the disciples ask, “Who is this?”
That is the key question Mark wants to answer in his Gospel. Mark’s agenda in writing this gospel was establishing the identity of Jesus. Jesus has the authority to forgive sin.He has authority over religion and nature. The wind and the waves obey him. We’re going to see Jesus’ authority over demons, disease, and death (Read the three stories in Mark 5:1-42).
All three of the people in this story were considered unclean (the man with the evil spirit, the woman bleeding, and the dead girl). And Jesus touches every one of them. NONE of them go unnoticed. In the midst of the crowds, Jesus makes sure that desperate people don’t go unnoticed. He stopped for them. He engaged them. Following Jesus means desperate people don’t go unnoticed.
So, let me just speak some faith into you:
Just because the doctors can’t do it doesn’t mean that Jesus can’t do it.
Just because you can’t fix it doesn’t mean that Jesus can’t fix it.
Just because you can’t heal your marriage doesn’t mean that Jesus can’t heal your marriage.
Just because you’ve not been able to overcome that addiction doesn’t mean that Jesus can’t overcome that addiction.
Just because you haven’t been healed doesn’t mean that you won’t be healed.
You begin to tell yourself of God’s faithfulness and speak that into your life.
Here’s the bottom line:
When your desperation overrides your pride, you are a candidate for God’s deliverance.
Sometimes it’s just our pride that stands in the way. We don’t want to be noticed.
And when your desperation overrides your pride, you become a candidate for God’s deliverance.
Does God always show up the way we want? Of course not. I’ve stood before too many hospital beds and counseled too many to think that my desire is always God’s desire.
But following Jesus means that desperate people don’t go unnoticed.
People were desperate when Jesus walked the earth, and people are still desperate today. We are surrounded by desperate people. My prayer is that no one goes unnoticed.
Until next month,
Keith
7708 Van Dyke Rd, Odessa
813-920-0442 • Sun. 10:00