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When You Don’t Know What Else to Do, Reach Out to Jesus

In Mark 5:21–43, we meet two very different people in a crowd — a respected synagogue leader and a suffering, unnamed woman. But in their desperation, they do the same thing: they fall at Jesus’ feet.

Jairus is a man of standing. He oversees the synagogue. He was likely chosen by the community for his maturity, integrity, and devotion. But all that structure and status evaporates the moment his little girl’s life is at stake. He kneels in the dust and begs.

Then there’s the woman. She’s been bleeding for twelve years. She’s spent everything. She’s unclean. She can’t go to the synagogue Jairus leads. She’s invisible in every way that counts.

But she, too, reaches out — in the only way she dares — brushing the hem of Jesus’ cloak in hope.

And Jesus stops.

He doesn’t just heal her and move on. He stops. Looks. Asks, “Who touched me?” The disciples, jostled by a crowd, think the question is absurd. But Jesus knows. And she needs to know that he knows.

Because what if he’s angry? What if he takes it back? What if she’s stolen a miracle she wasn’t supposed to have?

So he says what her soul needs most:
“Daughter.”

It’s the only time in the Gospels Jesus uses that word to address someone. A word of safety. Of belonging. Of restoration.

And at that very moment — while the woman is being healed, named, and brought into peace — word comes to Jairus:
“Your daughter is dead.”

Two daughters. One just brought back to life in spirit. One just lost in body.

But Jesus isn’t finished.
He turns to Jairus and says, “Do not fear. Only believe.”

At Jairus’s house, the mourners laugh when Jesus says, “She’s sleeping.” But Jesus takes her hand — across the boundary of death — and says, “Little girl, arise.”

And she does.

 

What does this mean for us?

1. Jesus welcomes all who reach for him.

Whether you’re Jairus or the bleeding woman — public or private, powerful or overlooked — Jesus responds not to your credentials but to your trust.

Faith is not a method. It’s a message pointing to a man.
It’s not about the strength of your belief. It’s about who your belief is pointed toward.

The woman believed touching his garment would heal her. It wasn’t the cloth. It was the Christ.

2. Your pain is not invisible.

Jesus stops in a crowd to find one person.
He doesn’t move on until he restores her, not just physically, but emotionally and socially.

If you feel like just another face in the crowd — know this: Jesus sees you.

He still stops. He still asks. He still speaks peace.

3. Even when it feels too late — it’s not.

Jairus was told it was over. His daughter was dead.
Jesus told him: “Do not fear. Only believe.”

Maybe you’ve heard something final:
“That relationship is dead.”
“That door is closed.”
“You missed your moment.”

But with Jesus, delay is not denial.

Even death doesn’t stop him.

 

How do we reach out to Jesus?

Reaching out to Jesus doesn’t require the right words or feelings. It isn’t a formula. It’s an act of trust.

Sometimes it looks like whispering a half-formed prayer.

Sometimes it’s showing up in worship, even when you’re numb.

Sometimes it’s letting someone else carry you in prayer when you can’t lift your own.

 

When you're out of options, reach for Jesus. And consider reaching for Jesus long before you're out of options!  :)