These verses are some of my favorites in all of Scripture. God has used them many times to encourage my heart when I was in a trial. One of those times was when my husband lost his job of 18 years. We knew a year ahead of time that his company would close its doors, and all that time, we prayed and stood on God's promises for His provision. Even so, the day came when my husband's job ended, and he still had no idea what he would do. We watched as many unbelievers who never gave the Lord a second thought got wonderful new jobs right away. There were times we were puzzled, hurt, and disappointed. We continued to pray and seek God for His help, and several more months passed by before the Lord opened a door of opportunity for my husband. One thing I discovered during those long and difficult months was that even well-meaning people can say hurtful and negative things. That's when God began teaching me to ignore a lot of the comments others make about certain situations in my life, and the lives of my loved ones.

In the verses above, Jairus had appealed to Jesus to come and heal his daughter, who was seriously ill. Before they arrived at Jairus' house, they were told that the little girl had already died. Scripture reveals that the Master ignored their comments and asked Jairus to "just trust" Him. Each time we're in a trial, we're going to have to choose between trusting God, and believing the negative reports of others. During difficult times, we can be very vulnerable to the remarks that people make about our circumstances. And if we're not careful, we'll take their negative words to heart and become fearful and depressed. If the people around us are not led by God's Spirit, we're not likely to hear God's view of our situation from them. They'll usually give us the world's view, and you can bet it will be one of doom and gloom, especially if it's a particularly serious or "hopeless" situation. They haven't gotten a revelation of how powerful and loving our God is, and how He delights in working wonders for His children who put their faith in Him.

We shouldn't be too surprised if sometimes even fellow believers don't see our situation through God's eyes. Very often, the Lord will reveal only to us that He has a plan for our deliverance. That's why it's so important for us to ignore others when they make comments filled with doubt and unbelief. We need to turn to God and ask Him to give us HIS view of our situation. Sometimes, all we'll hear from Him is "Just trust Me". Sometimes, that's all we'll need. The Lord raised Jairus' daughter to life, and He provided my husband with a wonderful new job. If you're in a trial today, let this promise from God encourage your heart: "Trust Me in your times of trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give Me glory"! (Psalm 50:15 NLT)

Prayer: Lord, help me to ignore the negative comments of others whenever I go through difficult times. Teach me to listen for Your words of encouragement and hope. Give me the faith to trust You for my deliverance, and guard me from fear and doubt. Thank You for the wonders You'll work in my life as I put my trust in You!