07 January 2010 Devotion for Today "He Can Handle It" Mark 5: 21-35

²¹ Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. ²² And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet ²³ and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live." ²⁴ So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.
²⁵ Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, ²⁶ and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. ²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. ²⁸ For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."
²⁹ Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. ³⁰ And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"
³¹ But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"
³² And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. ³³ But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. ³⁴ And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."
³⁵ While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?" (Mark 5:21-35)

In my mind this morning is the picture of my six year old daughter trying to help us with the laundry. She's going on 17 now but about ten years ago she was trying to help us by picking up a clothes basket of wet clothes and tried to make her way up the basement stairs with them so that we could put them on the clothesline . She was making good progress until, at about the sixth step, her strength just gave out. Exhausting and huffing and puffing, she called out for me to help her. "Daddy", she says, "This is just too much for me to handle!"

There are those times when life presents us with things that are too big for us to handle. We can become mired in the situation and there is no way out. Disease, death, depression and debt. Sometimes it is not us, but someone we love and would gladly trade places with them if we could. In this story from the fifth chapter of Mark we will learn that we can trust Jesus for things that are too big for us, because nothing is too big for Jesus. Not only that, but He traded places with us. In our text, two very different people are confronted with problems that are far too big for them.

First, there is a synagogue official. Here is a man of stature in his community, a family man, a person of means, confronted with something too big for him: his precious, twelve year old daughter is deathly ill. Nothing they have done for her has helped. She is on the very brink of death. Then there is someone else, a nameless woman. She has been hemorrhaging for twelve years. Her problem has rendered her a social outcast-walking pollution. She isn't even allowed to enter in to that synagogue. Her theology is based on superstition. She has no family that we know of, and no money; it has all been spent on the latest remedies. She has tried everything, but this thing is too big.

Mark brings these two very different people together, because they each teach us he same lesson: we can trust Jesus for the things that are too big for us because nothing, not even death, is too big for Jesus. You may be going through some things today that are too big for you to handle. That does not mean its too big for Christ to handle. You must allow Him and accept the help that He gives. Sometimes people don't get help because: 1) they are not aware that there is someone who can help them or 2) they would rather try to deal with the problem themselves because their pride makes them feel badly that they cannot do what is needed. They feel insufficient. They don't want to ask for help because, like the woman in the story, she was ashamed to face Christ. It was an embarrassing, personal situation for her. She knew in that time that most men would not be very understanding of her predicament. This was, after all, a "female problem" that men would shrink back from in disgust or embarrassment. But at least she reached out her hand and touched Him.

Christ shows us in this passage that no matter how critical, or no matter how embarrassing the situation is for us, He can handle it. He is willing to handle it because He loves you and does not want you to feel alone in it. He desires to heal you and to bless your life. He desires also that you come to him and call out for help not because He doesn't know about it, but so you can acknowledge your dependency upon Him. Will you do that today? It may beyond your ability or strength, but remember, He can handle it!

Prayer: Dear Jesus, today I acknowledge the fact that there are things in my life I just don't know how to deal with. It is too big for me. I ask You to help me, and trust in your sufficiency because I know, You can handle it.

Have a blessed day!