The Bible says: ‘Someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead”…when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead. But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately’ (vv. 49-55 NKJV). There’s an important lesson here for us. To experience the resurrection power of Christ, we need the right people and the right environment. Just as oil and water won’t mix, neither will faith and doubt. Jesus took Peter, James, and John into the house with Him, and put all the others outside. That would likely have offended some people, and Jesus probably came in for a lot of criticism that day. But when we’re in a crisis, we need to surround ourselves with people who can stand with us, rely on God’s Word, and believe Him for the answer. When Jairus heard that his daughter had died, he must have thought, ‘That’s it; nothing more can be done!’ But that’s not what Jesus thought. In the original Greek text, Jesus said, ‘Don’t be afraid; only believe, and keep believing and she will be made well.’ We need people who will keep believing God for the answer, which helps us to stay strong and faithful in the difficult times, too.
