Please Heal My Daughter

Please Heal My Daughter

How far would you go to heal your sick child? Some parents risk everything. Just ask Megan Crowley. In 1998, when Megan and her brother were diagnosed with a rare, fatal neuromuscular disease, her father quit his job and spent all of his time raising money—more than $100 million—to launch biotech companies in hopes of finding a cure. No wonder they called the movie about their experience Extraordinary Measures.

Another dad desperate for a remedy was a man in the Bible named Jairus. In Mark 5, this synagogue leader searched for Jesus, fell at his feet, and pleaded with the Lord to follow him home and heal his dying twelve-year-old daughter. But before they could reach her, news arrived that the girl had breathed her last. Imagine the wave of grief that swept over Jairus, only to hear Jesus tell him seconds later, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith” (v. 36). What do you think this father felt at that moment? What thoughts raced through his mind? And how do you suppose he reacted when, upon arriving home, Jesus miraculously raised his dead child to life right before his eyes?

These dads went to great lengths to rescue their children from death. Yet even a multimillion-dollar fund-raising campaign can’t compare with the extreme measures our heavenly Father took to rescue us from a godless eternity. He sent his Son, Jesus, who left his rightful home in heaven. Clothed in the humility of humanity, Christ came to earth as a servant. He allowed himself to be nailed to a cross as the penalty for our sin, then conquered death through his resurrection. Because of Christ’s sacrifice, we can be confident of the truth found in 1 Corinthians 15:54-55: “When our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: . . . ‘O death, where is your victory?’”

Just as he was the only hope for Jairus’s daughter, Jesus Christ remains our only hope of rising again.

Daddy-Daughter Time

Has your family been touched by serious illness? If so, talk about the ways God has revealed himself to you in the midst of that challenge. If not, share a hug and give thanks for your health, praying together that the Lord will reveal a way that you can reach out to a family struggling in this area.

What’s The Word?

When our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”   1 Corinthians 15:54-55