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While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.
Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”
Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region.
(Matthew 9:18-26, NIV)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Do you know what strikes me most about the story of Jairus’s daughter and the woman with the issue of bleeding?
It’s that Jesus did not hurry past the moment to encourage His daughter on the way to heal another daughter.
The Chosen, the brilliant television depiction of Jesus’ life and times, unpacks a beautiful scene when retelling this particular part of scripture. It shows Jesus bending down and looking at His daughter (the woman with the issue of bleeding) and taking the time to lift her head – physically and emotionally.
Now, you may think that, if Jairus’s daughter was dying, Jesus might exercise a little haste. But He didn’t. He took all the time necessary to genuinely see His daughter with the issue of bleeding and to meet with her with all the love and intention that Jesus could.
I am firmly convinced that Jesus didn’t hurry past this moment because He is God.
He was and is in full control of every situation and knows the end from the beginning.
He knew that Jairus’s daughter was going to be healed and well.
He knew that He had time to linger with His daughter as she stretched out to touch the hem of His garment.
He knew.
Though the demands on Jesus’s life and times on earth were great, He is never seen to be hurried, rushed or harassed.
He maintained an intentional and purposeful posture and remained in the will – and pace – of God, His Father.
There is a difference between God’s pace and the world’s pace.
Scripture encourages us in Romans 12:2:
‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’
(NIV)
The world seems to almost celebrate busyness, productivity and constant availability.
Jesus did not model this at all.
His life was full, yes. He was endlessly productive in His three-year ministry. But He was not constantly available.
Jesus regularly withdrew from the crowds to pray and to rest.
He walked rather than hurried.
He always gave people His full attention.
Even when facing urgent situations such as the illness of Jairus’s daughter, He responded with peace rather than panic.
Are you at peace with this kind of pace? Or are you tempted to hurry and rush God along?
I have two friends who especially model this kind of peaceful pace very well.
When I am tempted to race ahead, attempting to make things happen in my own way and in my own, preferred timing, they remind me to slow down.
They remind me that God is not in a rush and that He will always have His way, whether I work myself up into an anxious state or not.
They carry a deep trust in God that I envy and aspire to possess myself. They do not fear missing out, falling behind or losing control.
They have a quiet assurance that Jesus will come through in His own way, in His own timing.
Some may see this as laziness, an unwillingness to fight and contend for what you really want. I can see from the example and fruit of their lives that this is simply not the case.
They trust God which means that they believe He can accomplish His purposes without us living in a constant state of anxiety.
Slowing down can be an act of faith, not laziness.
If you, like me, can sometimes struggle to align with the pace of God which often cuts against our modern pace of life, here are a few practical steps to help you adjust your pace to His:
Perhaps peace isn’t found in getting through life faster, but in walking closely enough with God that we’re no longer worried about keeping up. When we trust His timing, we discover that a slower, more thoughtful pace is not a sign of falling behind, but of staying in step with Him.
The next time you are tempted to hurry ahead of God, ask yourself why you think that is. Then take the necessary steps to adjust, realign and remember that God is in control and that all things will unfold exactly as He has ordained them.
