During the trying times in our world today, we can experience feelings of pressure and desperation.

Pastor Troy Murphy during his message on May 17, 2020, examines Mark 5: 21-43, where we find two people from opposite ends of the socioeconomic spectrum who each have a feeling of desperation in their lives.

How did they handle that and what can we learn from them? Here are key points from Troy’s message:

*Jairus was one of the synagogue rulers. He was very well-to-do in status and likely wealth but had a big problem: his daughter was dying.

*In the same passage is a woman (her name isn’t given) who has been suffering for 12 years with bleeding. Unlike Jairus, she was low in status and had spent all her money on trying to find a cure for her illness.

*Both Jairus and the bleeding woman were desperate because they didn’t have control of their situations. Both were experiencing trauma, and both turned to Jesus in their need.

*How do we draw nearer to God? In the case of Jairus, boldly ask for what you need. Jairus asked Jesus to heal his daughter. We must strip away our pride, independence and tendency to want to figure things out for ourselves. Like Jairus, we must admit we have a need and go to Jesus and ask for help.

*Brene Brown said: "Daring greatly means the courage to be vulnerable. It means to show up and be seen. To ask for what you need. To talk about how you’re feeling. To have the hard conversations."

*The bleeding woman also came to Jesus but used a different  approach because of her status. She quietly touched Jesus’ cloak and believed He could heal her. Humbly seek and reach for who you need. Who do you need in your life? Obviously we all need Jesus and must reach for Him.

*You might also need to reach out to a family member or friend and ask for help. Brene Brown also said this: "Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen."

*Have faith in what God can do. The bleeding woman believed Jesus could heal her. Do you have faith, even in the midst of trauma and uncertainty? Do you believe God can help you, even heal you?

*Trust God in what He is doing. Whether you understand your circumstances or not, do you still trust God and believe there is a bigger plan? It would be easy to wonder why God would allow the pandemic we are experiencing. But God’s plan is bigger than our circumstances, and greater than we can even imagine. We are called to trust Him even when we can’t comprehend what is happening.