My Second Half Is Here!

“But Jesus ignored their comment…” (Mark 5:36)

Isn’t it powerful to know that our Saviour, Jesus Christ, is never shaken by bad news? When Jairus was told that his little girl was dead, not sick, not in a coma, but dead, Jesus didn’t flinch. Instead, He turned to Jairus and said, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Pastor Stephen Waiganjo walked us through Mark 5:21-43, where we were invited into two unforgettable stories of restoration. Both Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood could not have been more different: one was a respected leader in society, the other a nameless woman marginalised by her condition. Yet both had the same desperate need: restoration.

Jairus, despite his status, laid his reputation aside and fell at Jesus’ feet. Titles didn’t matter when his daughter’s life was on the line. He knew only one thing: he needed Jesus.

The woman, on the other hand, had endured twelve painful years of disappointment. Doctors drained her resources but never her suffering. Yet she believed that one touch of Jesus’ garment could change everything. Her faith made her push through shame, risk being stoned to death, and dare to believe in the impossible. And in one encounter, she was made whole.

Pastor Waiganjo proceeded to give us an illustration from football: half-time. The first half of the game may look hopeless, but the second half can completely turn it around. That’s exactly what happened in Job’s story. Job 42:10 (NKJV) tells us: “And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.” He received double for his trouble.

In the family service, Pastor Donald Gichane painted a picture of restoration using land reclamation projects like Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah and the Netherlands. Billions of dollars were spent, yet even these man-made marvels pale in comparison to what God does when He restores His people. When God restores, He spares no expense. His grace leaves you so transformed that others will look at your life and long to walk with the same God you serve.

In Judges 6, we meet Gideon, a fearful man hiding from his enemies. If we were introducing him, we might say, “cowardly, insecure, unqualified.” But when the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, He didn’t call Gideon by his fears. He called him by his destiny: “…mighty man of valor!” (Judges 6:12 NKJV).

That’s how God speaks over us. He doesn’t rehearse our mistakes, insecurities, or excuses. He calls us according to how He designed us. So stop answering to the labels your past has given you. Stop wearing the names people have put on you. Revelation 5:10 declares that we are “kings and priests” When a King decrees a thing, it is done.

So rise up. Go in the strength of His grace. Let the world see what happens when God writes the second half of your story.