31 JULY 2026
When God Doesn't Rush
Faith waits for Jesus, even when He seems delayed
By Shikha, S.C.M.A. Communications Director
Scripture: Mark 5:21–43
There are few things harder than waiting when your heart is breaking.
Jairus knew exactly what he needed. His daughter was dying. There wasn't time for long conversations, crowds, or interruptions. He found Jesus, fell at His feet, and begged Him to come quickly.
And Jesus went. But then... He stopped. A woman reached for His robe. Jesus paused. He asked questions. He listened to her story.
Meanwhile, Jairus waited. Can you imagine what must have been running through his mind?
"Not now, Jesus."
"Please... later."
"My daughter is dying."
Before Jesus even arrived, the news came.
"Your daughter is dead."
The very thing Jairus feared had happened while Jesus was helping someone else.
Sometimes that's exactly how life feels. We pray for healing while someone else shares a testimony of theirs. We ask for direction while others seem to know exactly where they're going. We plead for breakthrough while heaven appears to be answering everyone else's prayers.
It's easy to wonder if God has forgotten us. But what looks like a delay to us is never panic to Jesus. The people around Jairus believed the story had ended. Jesus knew it hadn't. His words were simple: "Do not fear; only believe." Notice that Jesus never explained the delay.
He didn't tell Jairus why He stopped. He didn't apologize for taking longer than expected. He simply invited him to keep trusting when nothing made sense. Faith isn't believing that God will always work on our timeline. Faith is believing that His timing never loses His power.
When Jesus entered the house, everyone had already accepted death as the final word. The mourners laughed when He said the little girl was only sleeping. But Jesus wasn't intimidated by what everyone else believed was impossible.
He took her by the hand.
"Talitha koum." "Little girl, I say to you, arise."
And she did.
The miracle wasn't just that a little girl lived again. The miracle was that Jesus proved no delay is too long, no situation too hopeless, and no ending too final for the One who holds life itself.
Perhaps you've been waiting. Waiting for an answer. Waiting for restoration. Waiting for healing. Waiting for the prayer you've whispered for months, or years. You may feel like God stopped somewhere else while your need became more urgent.
But the same Jesus who paused for one person never abandoned another. He was present in both stories. He is never late because He is never absent. Sometimes God doesn't remove the waiting because He wants to reveal something greater than immediate relief: that even when hope seems buried, His voice still calls dead things back to life.
Reflection
* Where have I mistaken God's delay for His absence?
* What fear has become louder than Jesus' words, "Do not fear; only believe"?
* Am I willing to trust God's character even when I don't understand His timing?
Waiting is not evidence that God has stopped working. Sometimes the greatest miracles happen after we think the opportunity has already passed.
This one naturally pairs with your previous blog, creating a beautiful progression: the woman teaches us that faith reaches for Jesus; Jairus teaches us that faith waits for Jesus, even when He seems delayed.