And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. Matthew 9:23-25
Get out of here so I can work! Oh how we hate distractions and noise. Things that pull our concentration away from the task.
The ruler had sought out Jesus and told him his daughter had died, but he believed Jesus could bring her back to life. Jesus, come into my house and do the impossible.
But the crowds would not believe. It wasn’t until they were turned out that Jesus chose to perform this miracle. Why? We can only speculate, but I saw an analogy. There are times I call on Jesus. I want him to come fix my life, or my thoughts, or revive a new spirit within me. I open my heart an ask Him to come in and heal.
But my spiritual house is full of other distractions. Negative residuals of hurt, anger, frustration, pain. The nagging is still in the back of my mind – things can’t change, this is the way it is, why hope? Maybe it is coming from well meaning friends, or the TV, or my own desperation. Maybe from a more evil force that trembles at the name of Jesus. All I know is before I can see Jesus in my life reviving me, I need to clear that ruckus away. I must give Him control over the situation, concentrate on His healing power alone. He stands patiently, knocking on the door of my heart. I am here. Prepare the way of the Lord.
The beauty of it is I can also see Him helping to clear it all away. I can see him at the ruler’s house calming him, saying it is okay, showing the hecklers the door. Not be phased by their jeers. Even when we barely have enough strength just to call on Him, He will come and do what is necessary to prepare us for His change in our lives. If you need a miracle, if you need revival, ask Jesus to help you clear away the obstacles that are preventing you from receiving it. It may take time, but His timing is perfect.
