Her Story, Her StrengthSample

Jairus's Daughter: Stronger than Death

The girl’s mother sat by her bed, holding her hand. The girl wanted to tell her mother not to cry, but she couldn’t make her voice work. She tried to squeeze her mother’s hand, but it was slipping away, or maybe she was the one slipping away. She wanted to hold on, but she was just too tired.

“Little girl.”

That voice–it was somehow familiar, even though she was sure she’d never heard it before.

“Little girl, get up!”

And for the first time in a long time, the girl wanted to get up. Right now!

The Bible tells us that the girl in this story was twelve years old. When the girl got very sick, her father, Jairus, asked Jesus to come heal her. But before Jesus got to the girl’s house, some people came to tell the father that his daughter had already died. Jesus continued on, telling the father to have faith. When they got to the house, Jesus took the girl’s hand and brought her back to life!

Are you afraid of death? You have good reason to be! Some people say death is a natural part of life, but the Bible tells us that isn’t true. Death was not part of God’s plan for us. It is right and normal for us to feel scared, sad, and angry when someone we love dies or when we face our own death. Death is our enemy.

But the good news is that if Jesus is on our side, death can’t defeat us. That is the powerful and beautiful truth we celebrate every Easter–Jesus is stronger than death! He was stronger than the death of the girl in this story. He was stronger than his own death. He will be stronger than my death and your death with Jesus as our savior. And someday, he will destroy death forever.