Mark 5 has a remarkable story of Jesus’ compassion in the face of death. A Jewish leader named Jarius comes to Jesus to plead for his daughter’s life. Jesus has just arrived; there is a huge crowd to greet Him. Jairus falls to his knees in front of everyone and begs Jesus to come to his home to heal his daughter. Here is the thing: Jews bowed to no one save for God. By kneeling before Jesus, Jairus was publically acknowledging that Jesus was God!

On the way to Jairus’ home, there is a delay. Jesus stops to speak to a woman who had touched His robe. This is another famous story—the woman with the issue of blood. While this happens, Jairus receives news that his daughter is dead and that he should stop bothering the “Teacher.†Jesus over hears this report, immediately steps between Jairus and the messengers, and tells him to “Stop fearing and believe.†Jesus, then, stops the crowd; takes Peter, James, and John; and proceeds to enter Jairus’ home.

By this point, the funeral is in full swing. There are mourners and wailers causing all kinds of commotion. Jesus kicks them out. He, then, takes Jairus and his wife into the girl’s room. He takes the girl’s hand and says, “Talitha koum,†which means, “Little girl, get up.†The girl gets up and begins to walk around.

There are several important points in this story. The first is the delay. There is always a delay between the moment we pray to God and the moment the prayer is answered. The length of the delay tends to be related to the size of the resurrection. Jesus waited for a few days before going to Lazarus; He paused for a few minutes with Jairus. How often do we get discouraged in the delay? We are walking by faith toward our answer when something suddenly causes us to loose heart. We wonder if God is listening or if He can see what is happening. We want to know why He has not answered our prayer. In these moments, we can take heart, because even if the answer has not come yet, Jesus is there with us, walking us toward the answer.

Another important point is Jesus’ actions. He was, firstly, available. He had just arrived in town when Jairus found Him. We, as Christians, can tend to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that we lose part of our availability. People in crisis are all around us; we can be vessels for God to help them if we take a moment. Jesus immediately put His agenda on hold to go with Jairus. Secondly, Jesus was accessible. God’s will happens on our earth whether we are accessible to help or not. Would you not rather be someone God uses instead of not? Be accessible. Lastly, Jesus was calm. He was not affected by the crowd or the wailers at the funeral. He was the picture of calm. He places Himself between us and the chaos and instructs us to believe. If we believe that He is more than a teacher, we will see His miracles.

Lastly, Jesus’ use of the phrase “Talitha koum†shows is never ending compassion. “Talitha koum†is an endearment that means “Little Lamb.†In the face of death, Jesus was moved with great compassion. He sees and feels all that we are going through. He understands. Death causes so much pain! Jesus, in turn, is compassionate. He shows us that He loves and cares for us and what we are going through. He sees it all; He hears it all; and He will resurrect the dreams we thought were dead. So do not despair because of the delay. Have faith. God is moving, and He will bring the resurrection.