And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth.
– Luke 8:52
Many times we encounter folks who seem so lost, so wicked, that we become almost certain in our conviction that they are beyond hope and are destined to an eternity of hell fire. This passage reminds us that even if their behavior or lack of conscience has endured for years and years they can still be brought to life and made new through the finished work of Christ Jesus!
Jesus tells us in this reading “Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth!” The same can be said for all those we encounter who are destined to be born again but as of yet have not come to life by the renewing of their minds and the awakening of faith that only the Holy Spirit can impart.
Once this miracle of God is wrought in a person they will be blessed to hear the Lord say “…be of good comfort, thy faith have made they whole; go in peace!” They become aware that through no power of their own they have been granted eternal life as a child of God!
The hopeless now becomes hope-filled! The lost becomes found! The blind receive sight! Dry, dead bones spring to life! The unclean becomes clean! Where there once was no rest, peace that surpasses understanding has been found!
As You Rise 