But God I Lions, Giants & Bears, But God I Frank Santora

Jul 21, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Twelve Years of Bleeding Meet One Touch

The woman pressed through a crowd of doubters, her trembling hand stretching toward frayed fabric. Twelve years of isolation ended when her fingers brushed the tassels of Jesus’ prayer shawl. Her healing wasn’t casual contact—it was faith-fueled determination. Jesus stopped mid-mission for this unnamed woman, proving no one is too broken for His notice. Her story whispers: your longest struggle is no match for one moment with Him. [17:19]

“For she said, ‘If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.’ Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.”
(Mark 5:28-29, NKJV)

Reflection: What “crowd” of doubts or obstacles have you allowed to delay your reach toward Jesus? Name one practical step you’ll take this week to press through.

Day 2: Desperate Daddies and Deathbed Promises

Jairus abandoned religious protocol to faceplant at a controversial rabbi’s feet. His daughter’s fading breath stripped away pride, position, and propriety. When death’s finality seemed to cancel hope, Jesus rerouted the story with four words: “Don’t fear—just believe.” Crisis becomes a classroom where we learn God’s help isn’t earned—it’s received by raw dependence. [12:27]

“And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.’”
(Mark 5:22-23, NKJV)

Reflection: Where have you substituted religious performance for reckless trust? How might “falling at Jesus’ feet” look in your current crisis?

Day 3: Divine Delays and Double Miracles

A dying girl’s timeline collided with a bleeding woman’s breakthrough. What felt like a disastrous delay to Jairus was actually divine choreography. Jesus used an interruption to build unshakable faith before the greater miracle. Our frustration with God’s timing often blinds us to His preparation—He’s engineering testimonies while we’re counting seconds. [35:37]

“Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
(James 1:3-4, NKJV)

Reflection: What “delay” in your life might God be using to strengthen your faith for a greater work? How can you shift from counting time to trusting His timing?

Day 4: Seed-Sowing in the Soil of Suffering

Jairus faced a costly choice—enforce religious rules against an “unclean” woman or show mercy. His restraint became seed for resurrection. Every act of grace during our pain plants harvests we can’t yet see. The synagogue ruler learned: miracles grow best in soil tilled by sacrificial love. [47:19]

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”
(Galatians 6:7-8, NKJV)

Reflection: What seed of kindness, forgiveness, or generosity is God asking you to plant amid your current struggle? How does this act of faith confront your fear of scarcity?

Day 5: Surrender’s Symphony—When We Conduct Nothing

Jairus’ story crescendos with powerless trust—a father watching a rabbi grip his daughter’s corpse. True faith isn’t our ability to perform miracles, but to witness them. Surrender whispers: “I’ll handle the believing; You handle the doing.” The moment we release control, God’s “Talitha cumi” resurrects dead places. [55:49]

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
(Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV)

Reflection: What situation have you been trying to “fix” that God is asking you to fully release? How might obedience look different than understanding in this season?

Sermon Summary

Mark 5 brings Jairus to Jesus with a time sensitive miracle. His little girl is at the point of death, but not past it, so natural hope is still alive. Jairus risks his reputation as a ruler of the synagogue, falls at the feet of the one his crowd has been fighting, and begs for help. Jesus gives five beautiful words: “So Jesus went with him.”

The text turns when the messenger comes from the house and says, “Your little daughter is dead. Why trouble the master any further?” Natural hope has a shelf life, and death steals every human answer. But Jesus hears the same report and speaks first: “Do not be afraid, only believe.” Those two little words, “but God,” become the hinge where everything going one way suddenly turns the other way.

Jairus shows that a child of God must believe God wants to help. Jesus does not lecture him, make him grovel, or bring up what the synagogue rulers had done. God is “a very present help in trouble,” and the throne of grace is open even when mercy is needed. God wants to heal, deliver, restore, forgive, and pull people out.

The woman with the issue of blood shows that God can be touched. She has been defined by her issue for twelve years, cut off from family, broke from doctors, and worn down in body and mind. Yet she hears about “the Jesus,” presses through the crowd, and touches the hem of His garment. She touches Him with pain, and He touches her back with power.

Her faith is not passive. Her mouth keeps saying, “If I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” Her heart holds on to the word from Micah, that the Son of righteousness would arise with healing in His wings. Her ears receive the right Jesus, not a twisted version that destroys faith, but the Jesus who opens blind eyes and heals all oppressed of the devil.

The delay is not a denial. Jesus lets Jairus hear the woman’s whole story because that testimony builds the faith Jairus will need when death is declared final. Her “for me” miracle becomes a “through me” miracle. God does something for her, and God does something through her.

Jairus also sows the right seed. The ruler who could punish the unclean woman restrains his power and gives mercy while his daughter lies dead. Then Jesus shrinks the circle, puts ridicule outside, calls the dead child sleeping, and takes her by the hand. “Talitha Kumai” becomes the word Jairus needed all along: little girl wrapped in healing wings, arise. Faith does its part, but only God raises the dead.

Key Takeaways

1. God wants to help anyway Jairus had every reason to think Jesus might refuse him, because his circle had resisted and accused Jesus. But Jesus does not make him pay a religious penalty before mercy comes near. Grace is not God pretending sin and pride never happened, but God inviting the desperate to come boldly anyway and receive help in time of need. [12:27]
2. Touching Jesus requires holy determination The woman with the issue of blood does not merely bump into Jesus with the crowd. Her faith presses through shame, weakness, law, and exhaustion because preference never draws power the way desperation does. The issue may have defined her publicly, but her reach toward Christ becomes the place where a new identity breaks in. [20:42]
3. The mouth steers the miracle The woman keeps saying, “If I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well,” and those words keep moving her toward Jesus. Speech does not replace faith, but it gives faith direction when obstacles start shouting louder than promise. A mouth filled with the word of God becomes a rudder that turns the whole life toward obedience and expectation. [24:40]
4. Delays can develop faith Jairus experiences the woman’s interruption as a problem, but Jesus uses that delay as preparation. The testimony Jairus hears on the road becomes the word he needs in the house. God’s timing may feel like loss in the moment, yet the delay may be building the exact faith needed for the next command: “Only believe.” [41:21]
5. Faith trusts God’s part Jairus can fall at Jesus’ feet, follow Him home, restrain judgment, and believe the word. Jairus cannot raise the dead. Faith is not a human attempt to do what only God can do, but a surrendered obedience that does its part and trusts God to release resurrection power.

## [55:09]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[03:38] - The Power of “But God”
[05:09] - Jairus Brings Desperation to Jesus
[06:29] - When Natural Hope Dies
[07:09] - Jesus Speaks Over Hopeless Reports
[10:11] - Believe God Wants to Help
[14:56] - Believe God Can Be Touched
[20:42] - Determined to Touch Jesus
[24:40] - What the Mouth Keeps Saying
[26:46] - Holding On to the Word
[29:56] - Hearing the Right Jesus
[35:37] - Delays Are Divine Setups
[45:14] - Sow the Right Seed
[48:17] - Shrink the Circle for Miracles
[53:20] - Talitha Kumai: Healing Wings Arise
[55:09] - Trust God to Do What Cannot Be Done

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Mark 5:21-43
“Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.’ So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.

Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, ‘If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.’ Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched My clothes?’ But His disciples said to Him, ‘You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, “Who touched Me?”’ And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.’

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?’ As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, ‘Do not be afraid, only believe.’ And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. When He came in, He said to them, ‘Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.’ And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, ‘Talitha, cumi,’ which is translated, ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise.’ Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement.” [05:09]

Hebrews 4:16
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” [14:24]

Micah 4:2
“Many nations shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”

Observation questions

In Mark 5, what details show how desperate Jairus was before Jesus ever reached his house? [05:13]
What obstacles are named in the story of the woman with the issue of blood, and what does she keep saying as she moves toward Jesus? [24:40]
What happens in the story between the woman’s healing and Jesus arriving at Jairus’ house, and who is allowed to go with Him after the bad report comes? [48:28]
In the house of Jairus, what does Jesus do with the crowd, what does He say about the child, and what happens when He takes her by the hand? [53:20]

Interpretation questions

Jairus comes from a circle that had reason to resist Jesus, yet Jesus goes with him anyway. What does that suggest about the heart of God toward people who come to Him in real need? [12:35]
The woman does not merely brush past Jesus in a crowd; she touches Him in faith. What is the difference between being around Jesus and truly reaching for Him? [17:00]
Jesus allows Jairus to hear the woman tell the whole truth before the message comes that his daughter has died. How might that interruption have prepared Jairus to hear, “Do not be afraid, only believe”? [41:58]
Jairus can fall at Jesus’ feet, follow Him home, and believe His word, but he cannot raise the dead. What does that show about the difference between a believer’s responsibility and God’s responsibility in a crisis? [55:37]

Application questions

When trouble hits, many voices say, “Why trouble the Master any further?” What kind of report, fear, or disappointment has been speaking loudly lately, and what would it look like to answer it with “only believe”? [07:22]
God wants people to come boldly for help, even when mercy is needed. Is there any area where shame, regret, or pride has been keeping someone from coming honestly to God? What would boldness look like this week? [14:24]
The woman kept saying, “If I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” What has been coming out of the mouth lately in a hard season—faith, defeat, anger, numbness, or something else? What would it look like to begin speaking in line with God’s word instead? [25:49]
Faith holds on to a word from God like a person guarding something precious. What promise of Scripture needs to be held onto right now, and what tries to steal it most quickly? [29:03]
Not every delay is a denial. Looking back, has there been a season where something felt late, but God was building strength, clarity, or faith through the wait? [42:28]
Sometimes the room has to be protected and the circle has to get smaller. Are there voices, influences, or patterns that make faith weaker in this season? What might need to be put outside the room? [52:06]
Faith does its part and trusts God for what only He can do. What is one situation right now where personal effort has reached its limit, and where surrender, obedience, and trust need to take over? [58:23]

Sermon Clips

62s

#PowerBeyondTime

“And here's the reason why. Because Jesus knew the girl would die before he got there. It wasn't news to Jesus. Jairus thought he's gotta hurry quick, but Jairus didn't understand he don't gotta hurry quick. His power is not diminished by time. His power is not diminished by space. He can do it anyway. He knew the beginning and from the beginning. He knew that even if he hurried there, word would come from the house that the child was dead. And so what he did was he allowed for an interruption, not as a delay, but as development so that Jairus could hear everything that he was gonna need to follow the direction of Jesus when the word came that said she was dead, and Jesus turned around and said, don't be afraid. Only believe.”

45s

#ButGodMoments

“And maybe your marriage is on its final legs, but God. Maybe your health is just keeps getting worse worse, but God. Maybe the dream is dying, but God. Maybe the prodigal child is away from hope, but God. Maybe it's your joy that's been stolen, your peace that's been stolen, your hope that's been stolen, your fire for God. Always remember that no matter what your situation is, God is stronger, God is greater, God is willing, God is able. There's always a but God moment in your life.”

46s

#DivineExchange

“And so if you're here today, maybe you're full of sin, I want you to know, God, you can still touch God. If you're here today, maybe you're full of for shame, you can still touch God. Whatever your situation is, God said, I welcome your touch. And here's the great thing about when we touch God. He always touches us better, doesn't he? He always touches us back with so much more. Think about this. She touched him with pain. He touched her back with power. She touched him with sickness. He touched her back with healing. He she touched him with problems. He touched her back with answers. Can I tell you there is a divine exchange that takes place when you and I get a touch from God? When God touches you, everything in your life changes.”

73s

#FaithIsDoingYourPart

“But here's what I really want you to see, and it's the last thing. Trust God to do what we can. Jairus, at the point where all he can do is follow Jesus. He cannot raise his daughter from the dead. All he can do is believe. He cannot he cannot raise the dead. All he can do is fall at the feet of Jesus. He he cannot do anything but get Jesus to his house. He can he can restrain his power. He can show mercy, but he cannot raise the dead. He could obey the words of Jesus when he said, do not be afraid, only believe, but he couldn't perform the miracle. The final we must is we must trust God to do what we can. Faith is not you doing God's part, faith is you doing your part. Believing, pressing, speaking, holding on, sowing, honoring God with your life, and trusting God to do what you can. You can pray, but only God can perform. You can plant in water, but only God can give the increase. You can touch the hem of his garment, but only God can release the power. You can believe, but only God can raise the dead.”

39s

#ButGodStories

“I wanna focus in or zero in on the part of the series that I believe changes everything and that's the but God. And throughout this series, we have seen it over and over again. Daniel was in a den of hungry lions, but God shut the mouths of the lions. Goliath was taunting Israel, but God guided the stone so David could defeat Goliath. The lion and the bear came against David, and but God shut the mouth of the lion, shut the mouth of the bear, and delivered. Every one of these stories became a testimony to those two little words, but God. They're two of the biggest little words in the Bible.”

55s

#ServeThroughYou

“There's what there's what happens for you and what happens through you. And there are too many people, it's called infantile Christianity, that are only serving God for a for me experience. And so all they ever focus on is what God can do for me, for me, for me, for me. All their prayers are for me, for me, for me. Nothing wrong with wanting God to do things for you. Because if God be for us, who can be against us? He will withhold no good thing from his children. I'm all for God wanting to do things for you. But it's low level Christianity, because I found that God will automatically do things for me if I'm willing to allow God to do things through me.”

30s

#ReachForGod

“It's one to believe that God can be touched. It's a whole another thing to determine that you're gonna touch God. Because there's a lot of people, yeah, God can be touched. And, you know, if God wants to touch me, then he'll just touch me. And people just sit there passively in their Christian existence just waiting for a touch from God, waiting for a touch from God. But I believe that there's there's a part that we play. And that is we have to have a determination to touch Jesus no matter how hopeless it seems.”

49s

#HoldFastToTheWord

“to hold on to the word is to get a word from God and guard that thing like a junkyard dog would guard their bone. Don't let anything come and take that thing. Don't let anything come and snatch that thing. If you gotta fight, if you gotta tear somebody up, you gotta you gotta protect the word of God in your heart. She was holding on to it. What's your word? If you're sick, by his stripes, I'm healed. If you're going through something or you're under attack, no weapon formed against me shall prosper. If you're going through something you don't understand, all things work together for the good, for those that love God, and are called according to his purpose. If you're feeling alone, the word is, I will never leave you nor forsake you. If your marriage is in trouble, the word is what God has joined together. Let no man put us under what is your word?”

50s

#WhenHopeDies

“Don't trouble the master any further. She's dead. It's over. It's too late. Sickness leaves room for hope, but death steals all hope. In one sentence, all natural hope is gone. There's nothing another doctor can do, nothing money can do, nothing influence can do, nothing time can do. Have you ever been there before where the word comes and hope dies? The doctor says, there's nothing more we can do to help you. The spouse says, I'm done, and the divorce papers get signed. The bank says the house is gone. The board said boss says, we're letting you go. The report comes back, and the word is final. Life has a way of sending messengers from the house who say it's dead. Why trouble the master any further? Why keep praying? Why keep believing? Why keep coming to church? It's over.”

46s

#SurrenderInHumility

“Humility is when we say, God, I surrender to you. I surrender to your ways. Listen to this. Even when we don't see it. Even when I never required my kids to only obey me if they agreed with me. They obey me because I'm their dad and because I know better than them. I obey God because he's my dad and he knows better than me. Even if I don't see it, even if I don't agree with it, even if I think there's a different way, I trust that God's ways are best, and so I fall at the feet of Jesus. And what God is saying to each and every one of you is surrender. Fall at the feet of Jesus and watch him turn your situation around.”

45s

#RenewYourMind

“That you start losing sight of who you are, that you are a child of God, that you're a son of God, that you're a daughter of God, that you're the head and not the tail, that you are the apple of God's eye, but you have an issue for so long, and all of a sudden you become consumed with your issue. You know what God told me to tell you? You can get over your issue. You can get over your issue. You can overcome your issue. You don't have to live with that issue for the rest of your life, and the number one way you get over the issue is you get over it right up here. Because what controls your mind controls your life. Some of you need a renewal of your mind. You need to begin to see yourself through the eyes of God, that you are a child of almighty God.”

29s

#MoveByTheSpirit

“And the reason why we walk away from them is because we're not being guided by the holy spirit. We don't move based upon open and closed doors. We move based upon the unction of the Holy Spirit and the word of Almighty God. And if God said it, you crawl through the crowd if you need to. You get kicked on, stepped on, whatever the case may be, lied about, talked about. It doesn't matter because if God said so, you've gotta do it. This”

38s

#GodThroughMe

“``The biggest question that you can be asking yourself is not, God, what can you do for me? But, God, what can you do through me? God, what can you do through this pain? God, what can you do through this problem? God, what can you do through this circumstance? God, what can you do through this blessing? God, what can you do through my business? God, what can you do through my marriage? God, what can you do through my occupation? Because I'll tell you what, when you begin to ask what God can do through you, wait till you see what God does for you. He will blow your mind.”

64s

#PressInDontFallAway

“It's amazing to me. I talk to people who who all the time, as you know. And and one thing that amazes me is when when stuff is going bad in people's lives, they resort to sin. Like, they'll say, yeah, pastor. This is just going so bad, and so I got drunk. Or this was just going so bad, and so I smoked weed. And so my marriage was just going so bad, so I committed adultery. And I'm like, I don't follow. I don't understand why what we do is we resort to falling away from Jesus or thinking that we'll just respond by doing something that's gonna separate us further from Jesus. I think what God wants us to have is a heart that says, I am more determined now. I'm pressing in. I'm coming through the crowd. I'm gonna touch the hem. There's nothing that's gonna keep me away from Jesus. You gotta have some want to in your life. There's a lot of people that have prefer to and not a people that want to.”

40s

#GuardYourEars

“Can I just be honest with you? Some of you, your faith is shipwrecked because your ears are garbage cans. You're allowing too much trash in your ears. You think that your ears are open for everybody's opinion, everybody's situation, everybody's whatever the faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. And and and you gotta be careful what you allow in your ears. Because the verse says, verse number 27, this is the spark that that lit the whole flame, that lit the whole but God in her life. It said, but when she heard about Jesus,”

33s

#DelaysAreDivine

“But number four, number four, if we're gonna get a but not God moment, we must believe delays are more divine than they are denials. Most people when when the answer doesn't come on our timetable, we think God is denying us. Let's be honest from Jairus' point of view, this woman was a problem. She was an unwelcomed interruption in a time sensitive miracle. His daughter is dying by the minute, and Jesus has stopped in the middle of the road for a testimony service.”

56s

#DesperateFaith

“Well, as we come to the text, we find as we saw a ruler of the synagogue, Jairus, who's in desperate need of a miracle. His only little girl, 12 years old, she lies at the point of death. And and this is what a desperate daddy does. Goes to Jesus. He's the ruler of the synagogue. He risks it all. He risks his reputation, his standing, his job. He finds Jesus. He falls at the feet of Jesus. And in desperation, he says, she's at the point of death, Jesus. Come now. And you can hear it. He's like, hurry up, Jesus. You gotta come quickly, Jesus. I need you to get there right now. She's at the point of death. It's a time sensitive miracle. Every minute matters. Every step counts. If Jesus doesn't get to his house fast, it's over. But notice as desperate as the moment is, there's still hope.”

47s

#HopeWhileTheresBreath

“And the reason why there's still hope is because she's at the point of death, but she hasn't died yet. She's still got life. She's still breathing. Her heart is still beating. The doctors may have run out of answers, but she's still alive. And as long as she's still alive, Jairus has hope. And we know how this works, don't don't we? As long as there's breath in her body, there's hope. As long as the marriage is still in the house, there's hope. As long as the business doors are still open, there's hope. As long as they're at the point of, but not past the point of, there's still hope. And Jesus goes with him. And as Jesus is going with him, word comes from Jairus' house that no parent should ever hear. Your little daughter is dead.”

88s

#EnduranceThroughTesting

“It's not when you fight in your own strength. It's when God touches your tired. It's when God supernaturally does something for you. James, the half brother of Jesus, he says this. He says in James chapter one verse number three, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. And the word produces is a Greek word that describes a chemical reaction, an explosion of some sort. And so faith that locks in on Jesus, faith that says I'm gonna follow Jesus, causes a chemical reaction, an explosion that produces, that transforms into this thing that is far more different than our patience. It's called endurance. Endurance is when anybody know what endurance is? It's when you're running. Anybody ever run long distances? How many of you know the first two miles is the hardest? And the reason why most people can't run long distances is because they give up at the hardest place. But what happens after you run two miles is you hit this place where all of a sudden your lungs begin to adapt, and you could go on for another eight miles. And the next eight miles aren't even as hard as the first. Something kicks in as you press in. Come on. Something kicks in as you press in. And when you press into God, God touches your tired.”

38s

#ProtectYourMission

“you don't know this about me, I'm not interested in making friends. I love people. I'm not interested in repelling people. I am not interested in making friends. Here's what I'm interested in doing, what God asked me to do. And Jesus was on a mission. You need to be on a mission when it comes to what God has asked you to do. And the mission is what you protect more than any other thing in life. And he permitted no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.”

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