In Chapter 6 (“The Waiting”) of King’s Cross, author Timothy Keller tackles the subject of patience. Referencing the accounts of Jairus’daughter and the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:21-42), Pastor Keller observes that precisely due to Jesus’ delay in getting to Jairus’ daughter, both Jairus and the woman got far more than they asked for.
It was the woman with the issue of blood who delayed Jesus on His way to Jairus’ daughter. Although she came to Jesus simply to be healed and make a quick exit, Jesus forced her to go public so that she’d realize it was her faith that had healed her and that she now was in a life-transforming relationship with Jesus. Similarly, Jairus had asked Jesus to heal his dying daughter. However, when Jairus later was told of her death, Jesus asked Jairus to trust Him, a far greater test of faith than Jairus had anticipated.
Applying this concept to our own lives, Timothy Keller notes:
“And so often, if God seems to be unconscionably delaying his grace and committing malpractice in our life, it’s because there is some crucial information that we don’t yet have, some essential variable that’s unavailable to us . . . . The answer, as with Jairus, is to trust Jesus.”
He will take us by the hand and lead us through our darkest night.
