I have lived a life of faith
I have felt and heard the Spirit
Still the darkness brings its weight
And assurance is gone
But as I fall asleep I have a waking dreamYou are standing in the driveway
Sara Groves, “My Dream”
As I come up the street
I can tell by Your movement You’re not angry
You are waiting there
If you follow Jesus, then He lives at your house. Yes, really. He lives there with you. Does He feel like a welcoming presence as you pull into the driveway? Or do you get the feeling that He might be angry and impatient with you?
In the book of Mark, chapter 5, Jesus was invited to a house to heal a very sick little girl. Her father begged Jesus to come. “So Jesus went with him” (v. 24). On the way, He was waylaid by a sick woman and a miracle. “While Jesus was still speaking [to the woman], some men came from the house of Jairus. . . . ‘Your daughter is dead,’ they said, ‘Why bother the teacher any more?” (v. 35).
Jesus could have sighed and shrugged His shoulders under the weight of so many sick and so little time. But He didn’t. “Ignoring what they said, Jesus told [Jairus], ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe'” (v. 36).
And then Jesus went to his house.
There was loud wailing as He entered the home, the chaos of grief. But I wonder if someone had leaned in to pay attention, would they have sensed a breeze of calm and a peace when Jesus walked in? I’m sure His grief was evident as He sympathized with their pain, but His grief was not without hope (1 Thess. 4:13). Jesus took charge of the situation, gathered a small group in the little girl’s room, and then He said, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” (v. 41). She stood up, walked around, and they gave her something to eat as Jesus directed.
Jesus doesn’t just live at your church. He doesn’t pop into your bedroom when you are able to sit down for thirty minutes to read your Bible. And He isn’t just present when you’re in a good spiritual mood. No, He comes to your house to be Emmanuel–God with you–in the midst of your own grief and pain and loss. Wherever He is present, there flows a breath of resurrection air. He breathes life into wherever we are, including marriage misunderstandings, children struggles, and our own emotional fluctuations.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for
Hebrews 11:1
and certain of what we do not see.
Faith is being sure that Jesus stands on the edge of your driveway. He is waiting there for you. He is not angry or impatient. Faith is being certain that He waits for you with resurrection life and hope.
The little girl in our story does not wake up to a fairy tale life. Jesus comes to rescue and she arises to her normal life: she’s still twelve-years-old, she’s still laying in her bed, and she’s hungry. As you invite Jesus into your everyday life, remember He saves us right where we are–we wake up to our normal.
But actually, it’s not quite normal.
Because Jesus is at your house.
And He’s kindly holding the door open for you.