The Agony of the Pause
Let’s be honest: waiting is uncomfortable.
Whether you’re waiting in traffic, waiting by a hospital bed, or waiting on God to answer a prayer that keeps you up at night, the silence can be deafening. We live in an instant world—we want solutions yesterday, and we want God to move on our schedule.
In Mark chapter 5, we step right into the middle of someone’s agonizing wait. Jairus, a prominent leader of the local synagogue, swallows his pride, pushes through the crowd, and falls at Jesus’ feet. His little daughter is at the point of death. There is no pain quite like the pain of watching your child suffer, and his plea is urgent: “Come and lay your hands on her so that she may be made well and live.”
Jesus agrees and begins walking with him. You can almost feel Jairus’ sense of relief: Help is on the way.
And then, Jesus stops.
Divine Interruptions
In the middle of this life-or-death crisis, a woman suffering for twelve long years touches the hem of Jesus’ garment and is instantly healed. Jesus turns around in the dense, pressing crowd and asks, “Who touched me?”
If you put yourself in Jairus’ sandals, that pause must have felt excruciating. Every second Jesus spent looking around and speaking peace to this woman was a second Jairus’ daughter was slipping away. To human eyes, it looked like an unnecessary, tragic delay. Before Jesus even finished talking, messengers arrived from Jairus’ house with the crushing news: “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”
How often do we feel like God is stopping for everyone else while our crisis goes unanswered? We watch other people get their breakthroughs, their healing, and their answers, while our situation appears to go from bad to worse.
Yet, as Jesus overheard those words, He turned to Jairus and gave a command that echoes down to us today: “Do not fear, only believe.”
Biblical Waiting is Active Expectation
When God delays, our default human reaction is to panic, give up, or get frustrated. We assume that if God isn’t moving right now, He doesn’t care or He has forgotten us.
Biblical waiting is not passive resignation. It’s not sitting on the couch throwing your hands up in defeat. Biblical waiting is active expectation by faith. It is trusting that what you are asking God—in accordance with His will and aligned with His Word—He is faithful to bring to pass.
Jesus walked into Jairus’ house, looked past the mourners who laughed Him to scorn, took the young girl by the hand, and said, “Little girl, arise.” Death didn’t have the final say.
What felt like a fatal delay was actually setting the stage for a resurrection. God wasn’t just going to heal a sickness; He was going to demonstrate His absolute power over death itself.
God’s Timing Reveals God’s Glory
When we try to rush God’s clock, we miss what He’s building in us. We get anxious, we strive, and we try to engineer outcomes in our own strength. But the truth is simple: we are in control of nothing, and we can take credit for nothing.
God’s timing will always reveal God’s glory. The pauses, the storms, and the unexpected detours aren’t meant to punish you—they are meant to develop you. They build spiritual muscle and teach you that Jesus is trustworthy not just when things move fast, but when everything stands completely still.
Whatever storm, delay, or season of waiting you find yourself navigating this week: don’t let fear write the ending. Hold onto His promise, stay faithful in the quiet, and just believe.
Heavenly Father,
You know how much I struggle with waiting. You know the burdens I carry, the prayers I’ve whispered through tears, and the moments where Your silence feels overwhelming. Forgive me for the times I try to rush Your timeline or doubt Your goodness when answers don’t come on my schedule. Increase my faith today. Teach my heart that a delay is never a denial in Your hands, and help me wait with active expectation and trust. Remind me that You are working far greater things in me than what I can see. May Your perfect timing bring You all the honor and glory in my life.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Are you currently in a season of waiting or walking through an unexpected delay? You don’t have to carry that burden in isolation. At ONE Church, our mission is to ensure that No ONE Walks Alone.
Take a moment to share this post with someone who needs encouragement in their wait today, or drop a comment and let us know how our church family can stand with you in prayer this week!
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