This morning while reading a familiar passage of Scripture, one of the verses I was reading really leapt out at me. I was reading about the time Jesus healed Jairus’ daughter, but it was the second part of Luke 8:41 that really got my attention. “And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house”. Jairus didn’t just ask Jesus for help; he fell down at His feet and begged Him to come to His house. This man, a religious ruler, threw pride aside and fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged for Him to come to his house. I think that is what really got my attention. He desperately wanted Jesus’ presence in his home; he could have just asked Jesus to heal her, but he didn’t.
Jairus wanted Jesus’ to come into his house, and I couldn’t help but wonder how many of us are willing to do what he did. How many of us aren’t content to just ask Jesus for help? How many of us are falling down at the feet of Jesus and begging Him to come into our homes? I look around and I see families being torn apart, children being lost to the enemy through drugs and alcohol, marriages failing, and millions of other reasons that should be sending us to our knees in prayer. My friend we have plenty of reasons to fall down at Jesus’ feet and beg Him to come home with us. I’m sure each one of us has at least a half dozen reasons to beg Him to come into our homes.
Like Jairus, our only hope is to acknowledge that we can’t do it and that we desperately need Jesus. Like Jairus, we need to lay aside all pride and self-reliance and fall down at Jesus’ feet and beg for Him to do what only He can do. We need to beg Jesus to come into our homes. Friend, I can tell you right now that the only One capable of fixing the problems in your home, your marriage, or your family is Jesus Christ. He is the only One that can do anything about the problems that are worrying you!. So, my friend, when was the last time you fell down at His feet and begged for Him to “come into your home”? When is the last time you didn’t just pray but fell down at His feet in fervent prayer?
Oh, my friend, I can tell you for certain that we have a ruthless enemy who hates us and seeks to destroy us and our loved ones. He hates you and he wants to destroy you and he will stoop to any level to do that. He doesn’t care what it takes; he just wants to cause pain and destruction. And the truth is that he is doing a really good job at it from what I am seeing in the lives of many people I know. He is doing a good job and I confess there are days when I struggle watching the pain and destruction he is causing. It is in that very moment, when I struggle to see how things can change, when I wonder if things will ever get better, that I have to remind myself of truth.
Yes, the enemy is good at causing pain and destruction, but I serve a God that is far greater than the enemy I face. I serve a God who specializes in doing the impossible. I serve a God who takes broken things and makes them beautiful. I serve a God who takes what the enemy means for harm and turns it around for good. I serve a God that cannot be defeated. I serve a God that is not only real, but He is my very best Friend. He is my Hope and the Anchor that holds me to my course in life. I may struggle, I may even shed a few tears, but oh, my beloved, I absolutely refuse to give up. I may get discouraged, but I know where to go to get encouraged.
When the enemy strikes and my heart is overwhelmed, I know where to go. I go to the Word of God and I encourage myself with the Truth I find there. “This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life”. Psalm 119:50. I go to His Word and His promises bring life to me, they bring hope to my heart and spirit. I look to His Word to remind me who God is and who I am in Him and to Him. Reading His Word always encourages me and helps me to find the strength I need to press on in the battles I face. His Word is also the weapon I use to do battle with the enemy (Eph. 6:17). I use the Truth I find there to battle the lies of the enemy.
I also go to Him in prayer. Like Jairus, I am learning that the best place to be when you find yourself in desperate need is at the feet of Jesus. All my problems find their answer at the feet of Jesus. Although, my problems don’t always change when I am at the feet of Jesus, I do. When I spend time at the feet of Jesus, begging Him to “come into my house”, I find that I am changed when once again I rise to my feet. I fall down in despair, my worries overwhelming me, and I rise, a woman strengthened by her Lord and Savior. I have never, never regretted a moment at His feet. Every moment spent at His feet, changes me, strengthens me, and empowers me just when I need it most.
“From the ends of the earth, I cry to You for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety” Psalm 61:2 (NLT). My friend, I don’t know what problems you may be facing today. I don’t know what cares burden your heart, but I do know where the answer can be found. I know where hope can be found. Dear heart, I think it is time to fall down at the feet of Jesus and beg Him to come to your house. I think it is time to grab hold of Jesus and do not let go. Stay at the feet of Jesus, hang onto Him for as long as it takes, my friend. Beg for His help and encourage yourself with the promises in His Word while you wait on Him to move for you and those you care about.
Behold, I am the Lord God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6
Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17
See also Eph. 6:18; Matt. 26:41; James 5:16
Katrina Douglas
