“When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she kept saying, “If only I touch his clothes, I will be healed.” At once the bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.” Mark 5:27-29
This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Stories of redemption and healing are always life-giving to me, especially as I have walked though my own hard and disappointing seasons in life. To know I am not alone in my suffering, that Jesus sees and cares deeply for us and is willing to perform a miracle, is so encouraging to my heart.
Have you ever been in a season where you felt like you had lost it all? Your marriage? A life-long friendship? A good paying job? Your dream house? Maybe all you felt you had left was a thread of faith, believing somehow, someway the Lord would show up in your situation and maybe, just maybe, you would receive that healing, restoration or relief that you’d been praying for. Well, I’ve been there, too. Faith, no matter how big or small, changes things.
The true miracle in this story in Mark 5:25-34 is what remained healthy in this woman’s sick body: her faith. She exhausted all options, including physicians and finances. But she had hope and faith. She not only dared to believe Jesus could heal her, but she acted on that belief, wanting just one touch as He passed by.
Due to the nature of her being considered “unclean” according to the law, her touch would have made Jesus unclean. But because Jesus had the power to make her clean, the opposite happened. “At once the bleeding stopped” (Mark 5:29). Without a verbal ask, eye contact, or a touch from Jesus. Even with this “socially distant” touch of his garment. Jesus knew she had touched Him and that she had immediately received her healing. However, He stopped and still asked the question to the crowd: “Who touched my clothes?”
What Jesus was doing in that moment, even after the miracle of healing was performed, is something special to note.
Worry, doubt, confusion, depression, anger, bitterness, and feelings of condemnation are all examples of the tactics the enemy uses to attack our minds and our faith. Jesus gave this woman the opportunity to step out of her shame, and He restored her back into the community where she was an outcast by publicly calling her “daughter.” He didn’t have to do this, but He wanted her to know without a doubt that she received her healing because of her faith.
Where is your faith today, my friend?
We must have a fighting spirit in this life we live on this side of Heaven. The war is real, but Jesus is greater.
Are you willing to take God at His Word? Are you willing to beg God for what you care about? We will never offend God by asking for too much, however we offend Him by not asking for as much as He is willing to do for us. We see time and time again how the Lord delights in restoring, redeeming, and healing the broken and forgotten.
You are so loved and worthy of another touch from our heavenly Father. Allow your faith to rise up! Be bold and courageous. He will meet you there. I promise you that.
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