Today’s Devotion
Topic: Forget The Crowd, Look To Jesus!
Text: Matthew 9:18, 23-25
18 While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” 23 When Jesus entered the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. Amen
Life sometimes hits us so hard at the areas we least expect and that attracts a huge crowd. They are concerned that you have been ‘hit’ and are going to remain ‘hit’. So they come to mourn with you. They neither come with a solution nor the hope of one. They see a dead end, and feel sad it was you it happened to. That’s all.
So this is why the ruler, after losing his beloved daughter, did not lurk a second around the hypocrisy or sympathy of men. That one provides neither hope nor solution. He turned straight to Jesus, the giver of life. He said ” my daughter has just died. BUT COME AND PUT YOUR HAND ON HER, AND SHE WILL LIVE.”
Reading the account carefully, one can easily tell that the man had a lot of sympathizers, probably because he was a ruler. However what is also obvious is that, only a handful of them may have actually wanted his daughter back to life. The masses really cared less. They were mourning out of concern, pity or even spite but not for the girl to come back to life.
When Jesus arrived, He tried to teach the crowd to think positive through the hopeless situation. He said to the flute players and noisy crowd; “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at Him.
Wow, can you see the clear switch in emotions? In a moment they are mourning, with tears all over; in the next, they can laugh at the very solution that should turn their mourning in to dancing. The dead girl is not their child and they do not even believe this “Jesus Prophet”; what do they care then? Jesus had to put the crowd out.
Beloved is it not time we pushed our fake symphatisers behind and went straight to Jesus for help? With the crowd behind us, we can now concentrate on the word of God and what He says about our situation.
Discovering today, through the reading of His word that your situation is not a dead end situation, why will you still be wearing mourning clothes with ashes all over you? Arise and shake off the dust. Salvation has come to your home. Every dead hope, dream and aspiration is coming back to life right now with one touch of His hand.
Begin to pray now. Today marks the 1st working day of the 6th month of the year. Guess what, we are almost half way through. Forget about the crowd and all the negative things they told you. That you are talking to Jesus right now is even an indication that you got no solution from the crowd. Lift your faith above the words of men and turn to God.
Pray earnestly for your life, future, academics, career, family, relationships and ministry. Also, pray your fears, doubts, sicknesses, sorrows, dead dreams and hopeless situations to Jesus. Now fix your eyes only on Him knowing He is able. One touch of His hand turns your life around. See! the chains that used to bind you are falling off; light has taken over all the dark areas in your life too; yet Jesus is just beginning with you.
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