Knowing Better

 “And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.”

(Luke 8:52‭-‬53 ESV)

As we experience a need, as we face a trial or a hardship, our first reaction is to cry out to the Lord. Our first reaction is to pray. We call out to God asking him to intervene.

However, that being said, we continue to rely upon our own understanding. We continue to trust in our own wisdom. And we fail to trust in God.

In short, we think that we know better than the Lord. We believe our wisdom to be greater than his. We think that our sense of what is real, our sense of what is true, our sense of what is possible, and our idea of what course of action is the best is better than his own.

We think that we know when there is still a chance for a positive outcome. We think that we know when all hope is lost. And we think that we know exactly what God should do to remedy the situation at hand.

We see an example of this in Luke 8. A synagogue ruler, named Jairus, came to Jesus because his young daughter was dying. And Jesus went with him.

However, while they were on their way, a messenger from his house came, telling him that his daughter was dead, and that there was no need to trouble Jesus any longer. But Jesus told him that he was not to fear, but believe. And he assured Jairus that his daughter would be well.

Jesus’ words to Jairus don’t make sense, from a human standpoint. But they went on. And as they came to his house, they found the people weeping and mourning for his daughter.

Seeing this, Jesus told them not to weep. They were not to weep, he said, because the girl was not dead, but sleeping. And the people laughed at him, knowing she was dead.

They believed that Jesus was wrong. They believed that they knew better than Jesus. And it’s this that led to their mockery.

The girl, of course, had died. Her spirit had left her. But they didn’t understand who Jesus was nor the power he possessed. 

In making this statement, Jesus was telling the people that he would awaken her. He was telling them that he would raise her to life, just as one awakens another from sleep. And this is exactly what he did.

He took with him the girl’s mother and father, along with Peter, James, and John. He then took the girl by the hand, telling her to arise. And, at that moment, her spirit returned and she got up.

As we approach the Lord with our needs, and as we come to him in the face of our trials, we must do so humbly. We must come to him leaning not on our own knowledge or understanding. We must come to him, knowing that he is God and that his wisdom and power surpass not only our own, but also that which we can imagine.

We must look to him in faith, trusting his assessment of the situation. We must look to him in faith, believing his course of action to be proper and best. And we must look to him in faith, confident that he will bring about our blessing.