Like a spectator watching his favorite team in a losing streak; with a sullen face. You sit quietly on the floor, at the corner of your living room, staring on the ceiling with a heart filled with shame, guilt and fear mixed in a concoction of probing questions, hitting all cylinders in your mind, yet with no concrete solutions. The confusion in your mind and the uncertainty of your tomorrow drains life out of your soul like a leech. The dark clouds over your head is too thick, but it shows no promise of rain.

I am talking about the night-time seasons of life…when one is dealing with the issue divorce, separation, incurable disease, lack, unpaid bills, deportation, shame, dark secret, big time failure in business transactions, guilt or the death of a love one. That moment when suicidal thoughts run through your mind, fast and furious. Everything that defines your worth and significance, in the physical realm is fallen apart without repairs. The hand writing on the wall says; “dead-end, no turn, no exit, the end”. 

How do I go from here to there?…

WE ALL GO THROUGH IT These dark moments, everyone go trough it one way or the other. These night-time struggles and it demon, can walk quietly into a section A neighborhoods and suffocate a single parent, whose young teenage boy is the only hope for the future with premature death, through straight bullet from a wrong place at a wrong time. These night time struggles is not shy of being found in the rich suburban and gated communities of your city; terrorizing and taking life out of the rich and the wealthy. The rich, the poor, the great, the least, white and the colored, presidents and kings all go through these moments. Hitting the quit bell, always seem to be the best option. Friend quitters don’t win and winners don’t quit. You are a winner through the power of Christ.

Jairus was “the ruler of the synagogue” at Capernaum; in faith, pleaded with Jesus to heal his very ill daughter. While Jesus was delayed in arriving because of the crowds, the girl died. But it didn’t matter – because of Jairus’ deep faith in the words of Christ, the girl was raised back to physical life, from the dead. Dr. Luke records it in Chapter eight of his gospel – Luke 8:40-42  “And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received Him: for they were all waiting for Him. And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought Him that He would come into his house: For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying.”

WHICH ONE IS DIFFICULT? Going through the long tunnel of life with a belly full of regret and pain, or falling on your knees with a childlike faith to a loving God, who is always willing to lavish us with hope and meaning to live again, with smiles on our faces. Jairus was a man of standing in his community – He could have chosen the path of internalizing the pain of dealing with the ill health of his lovely daughter, but rather humbled himself before Jesus for a turn around. You cannot overcome pain by dragging yourself through the drain of self occupation and neglect the true God. Friend, God is personal, and thinks only about your welfare. God is not shaken his head over your mistakes and misfortunes. His arms are wide open to hug and invoke life into your weak heart, and power to your torturing knees. I love the humility and faith of Jairus; He fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought Him that He would come into his house. Why don’t you invite Jesus into your house, your office, your family, at your sick-bed, jail house and at wherever you find yourself now, and totally surrender to His will

Mark 5:35-36 NET…While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue ruler’s house saying, “Your daughter has died. Why trouble the teacher any longer?” But Jesus, paying no attention to what was said, told the synagogue ruler, “Do not be afraid; just believe.”

DO NOT BE AFRAID, JUST BELIEVE – Death is the cessation of life. Sometimes life loses its savor and flavor and the writing on the wall and the signs in the blue skies are bold and clear enough, for the ignoble to read and interpret your situation as, “totally impossible”. Those moments are very frustrating; one simple decision can make you or cause you to surrender to despair.   Many have given up in life, embittered and disappointed in God and the people they thought didn’t do too much to help them sail through their storms. God is a God of miracles. He always knows the end from the beginning. He is NOT afraid of detours, dead ends, no exit and stop signs. He always has the right means to get us to the right destination. He makes a way where there seems to be no way. All He requires from us is to totally trust Him to do the impossible in our lives, by His power.

To Jairus, the arrow to his heart was the bad news of the death of his lovely daughter. The good news is that God don’t stop when all hell broke loose against us.  I have seen it time and time again in ministry; even as you love the Lord and want to do His will and fulfill a mandate on your life, you apply effort and diligence to your vision and goals, and yet it seems your efforts is always fizzled into the thin air and your own shadow keep yelling at you, “pal, this ain’t gonna work” “am tired of following you” “it is time we try something else”. That is crazy; your own shadow is even tired and burned out on every front.

In 2005, our Church landlord (New York) called me to his office, because we were struggling to pay $515 monthly rent. Paul, who was a kind Jewish elderly man, looked  into my eye through my weakling soul and said, “Young man I have observed you; I know you love God, but if you milk a cow and the cow don’t give you milk, you try something else, and in the future when the dust settles down, you can once again put your hands on the cow to see what is in store”. That was wisdom from Paul, but all that he was telling me was to quit indirectly. Those were the times, I almost threw in the towel and gave up on my calling. Man always has their opinion, but it is the counsel of the Lord that will always stand if one learn to hold on to His everlasting arm, and keep on keeping on, until you get there. To make a long story short, God turned my captivity around and ordered my step into a fruitful vineyard. I did not sail through because of any human technique; His grace was abundant in my weakness.

Mark 5:36 “As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken he said unto the ruler of the synagogue, BE NOT AFRAID, ONLY BELIEVE”

Jairus heard death, Jesus saw life in a dead situation, therefore entreated him not to allow the law of fear to governed the faith persuasions of his heart, but to consciously keep up his belief. Don’t quit my friend and never allow the nay Sayers to stop you on your tracks. It might seem like you have come to the dead-end of life. If you can hold on for another day, another second, another week, another month and another year, patiently holding on to His grace; you will hear Him say, “Talithakoum”  which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up.” Some things are going rise up again in your life, because your God don’t stop in the face of death.

Are you dealing with an impossible situation? Send your prayer request via pray4change@gmail.com for spiritual re-enforcement. Have you overcome an unexpected evil situation, in your life? Comment by sharing with us how God saw you through, to encourage others who may be going through life difficulties, and they feel like quitting.

Thanks you!! -Grace to you, as you chart through the stormy seas of life, fulfilling eternal purposes. Lot’s of love

– McDaniels Gyamfi