When Things Get Worse After Seeking God

The Bible tells us the story of a man named Jairus. He was one of the rulers of the synagogue who one day was in need of help. Desperate, he came and bowed at the feet of Jesus and begged Him saying,

“My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.

Mark 5:23-24

As Jesus and him are on the way to heal his daughter, something unexpected happens.

A certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.

Mark 5:25-29

She comes out of nowhere and receives her miracle instantly from the Lord. But where I want to lay my emphasis on is verse 35.

And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

Mark 5:34-35

Notice that as Jairus was on his way to receive his miracle, it got delayed by someone who got theirs in an instant. It was in this moment that the words of those near to Jairus came, saying, “Why bother Him any longer?”

For many people, it may seem like when you started to press into the Lord through prayer and fasting, and abandoned the sinful things, life took a turn for the worse. It may even seem that others are getting breakthrough faster than you. In this story we see that the woman received her miracle instantly while the ruler of the synagogue had to take his time walking with Jesus.

If your life feels similar to this right now I want to encourage you to not be jealous of people who get “by a touch,” what takes you time.

Sometimes we are surrounded by people who it seems didn’t sacrifice and give themselves equally as much as we have and yet and they are progressing and we are not. The temptation in seasons like that is to not trouble the Teacher any longer and quit. And perhaps we don’t quit in our faith but we do in our fire.

He wants us to depend on Him.

Sarah got pregnant through a miracle; Hagar got pregnant through a one time encounter with Abraham. The Chief butler got released quickly through a dream, it took Joseph years.

Read: Fight to Believe God’s Vision

When It Gets Tough, Remember

1. Don’t Give up on God’s Promise for Your Life

God may require you to walk with Him through a season before you receive the miracle.

We should never assume that the people who receive the miracles quickly never waited. Don’t look at it like that. The woman with the flow of blood spent 12 years suffering. See this time of waiting as a test.

Will you still continue to walk with the Lord when you don’t see what you’re asking for right away?

So many of us get discouraged when we don’t see the Lord acting on our behalf right away or fulfilling our requests. Let me encourage you today by telling you that the Lord will exceed your expectations when you don’t get distracted by seeing someone else’s breakthrough.

What if the Lord is testing you and he’s not meeting your expectation because He want to exceed them?

The Bible says that the joy of the Lord is your strength, not the joy of your answered prayer.

Keep persisting.

2. Don’t be Afraid, Only Believe

As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”

Mark 5:36

When the ruler was walking with Jesus, things got worse and people around him encouraged him to focus on his problems and to stop walking with Jesus–to stop bothering Him and persisting.

It was in that moment Jesus told Him not to worry, to not leave Him, but to keep walking together to face the problem.

Similarly, many people experience a breakdown because they hear satan’s whisperings telling them to focus on their issues and things around them. When you do that, you’re allowing the enemy to distract you from the miracle that’s about to take place in your life.

Don’t be afraid to continue walking with Jesus when things get worse. 

Sometimes like an archer, the Lord pulls you back because He’s setting you up to propel you forward. In seasons like that many of us feel confused and discouraged because it seems we’re going backwards in life instead of forward, so we lower our pursuit of the Lord and we begin to doubt the Lord’s hand in our life and in our future. But let this be a word in season for you–Do Not Be Afraid. Keep walking with the Lord hand in hand and you will not see a healing, but a resurrection.

Testing comes in various forms but often in seasons like this it deals with how we respond when others get what they’ve been asking faster than we do.

Continue to focus on His presence, on His future for your life, and on the promise. Be optimistic about your future. Choose to link up with the Lord. And times like this in life are a perfect time to fast. Fasting helps to recalibrate our hearts to the Lord’s promise and vision for our lives.

You came to God for healing, what if He has resurrection in mind. You came to Him for purpose, what if He has peace in mind also?

I just want to challenge you to not let other people’s breakthrough discourage you but allow them to encourage you that yours is also coming.

3. As You Get Closer to Breakthrough, Less People Come Along

And lastly, know that as you get closer to your miracle, you will have less and less people surrounding you. The following verse says,

And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.

Mark 5:37

In this verse we see that although Jesus had 12 disciples, only 3 came into the the place where the miracle happened.

I’m not saying to intentionally cut people off but people who are making fun of your faith and who are discouraging you don’t belong in the same room where the miracle is about to take place. In fact we see in the next verses that Jesus began to kick people out of the room.

When you’re walking by faith, many people will have a problem with the direction you’re heading and they will stand in the way of you receiving what God desires. Jesus kicked those people out. The closer you get to the miracle, the less that fully committed people will surround you.

Jesus and unbelief should not dwell in the same place. If you’re expecting a resurrection, you must be full of faith and fearlessness. You can’t be surrounded by people who only want to talk about the problem and not about faith.

The ruler of the synagogue had one option–he either kicked the people out or kicked Jesus out.

Today, you have the same option– do not fear. Walk with Jesus.

Final Thoughts

Don’t stop pursuing fervently after God just because others are getting what they are asking for first or because you feel that things are getting worse. Have faith that what you’ve been praying for is on its way. And don’t be afraid, in fact go harder after God knowing that your breakthrough is coming.

And lastly, repent for fixing your eyes on the problems instead of Christ. And instead, pray that the Lord will fill your mind with faith and peace, and joy.

May our minds not be a reflection of our problems but a reflection of His promise.