Read Mark 5:35-40

“Then He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).”

Jesus walked among the lifeless and exchanged death with life. He traded fear for faith, even as He told the man whose daughter lay dying just steps from their path, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” Moments before, He’d unknowingly moved an outcast from mere survival to true life when she reached out in faith for the One whom she believed to be the Messiah, her Healer. Now an important Jewish leader would see Jesus replace the death of his daughter with the miracle of her life. A touch of Jesus’ hand made hope out of mourning. The stroke of His voice composed a new beginning. The little girl was dead. But Jesus spoke, and then she was alive.

I have never seen a daughter being raised to life, but that doesn’t make the truth of this story any less real. Jesus Christ makes life out of nothing. He takes what is not and turns it into what is.

I have, however, seen Jesus turn fear into strength. He’s taken a dying relationship and made it thrive. He turned depression into purpose, created joy where guilt once paralyzed, turned anxious into calm. If you think about it hard enough, you’ve likely seen His transforming work, too.

Where faith in Jesus comes in, new life prevails. Where have you seen His power at work? What can He transform in you even today? Is there a piece of you that must die, like the little girl, so He can breathe His transforming life into it?

Don’t be afraid. Just believe.

Bria Wasson