Matthew 9:20-22New International Version (NIV)
“20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”
22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.”
I think it is so easy for us to look at this account from the surface. We think yes a woman was sick and Jesus came to heal her, big whoop. But like so many stories in the Bible they all cry out to us to get their message in a way that we can apply to ourselves.
You may not be sick or bleeding for 12 years, this is not the point. But how many of us are going about our day, every day, living in depression, sickness, hopelessness, loneliness, and feeling broken.
How many of you may feel that you do not even have the effort to pray anymore or get up and do anything let alone search for Jesus?
How many of you feel that you have cried out to God time and time again, but have yet to get any response?
How many of you feel like you just want to give up?
Can you relate to this woman? Can you imagine again that she would go to doctor after doctor treatment after treatment, that she would cry out day and night for some type of relief? But it did not come.
Could you imagine how much hopelessness she must have felt. Even as she heard about a man named Jesus, she must have thought to herself
“ How is this man different? How can he help my suffering?”
Like so many times, out of our frustration comes desperation and out of the desperation comes the notion that we must do anything to be made well.So she thought to herself “ If I can only touch his cloak.”
Jesus had a history of healing people, most of the time though the touching of his hands, so what unprecedented faith she must have had to think if she can only touch him, all would be well.
It was a crowded day, she didn’t even know if she could make it through the crowd, but she knew that if she was going to be healed, then perhaps this man was the only man that could do it.
Do you feel beat up?
Do you feel tired of the hand me downs that life continuously throws in your face?
Have you turned to people and they disappoint you and you feel you have no where else to turn?
Well then I ask you, can you get up? Can you get past your depressions, sadness, and disappointments of this world to make it to touch Jesus’ cloak?
You may feel that you have nothing left. You may feel that you cannot get up and drag yourself one more foot. You may even feel that you do not have enough voice left to cry out, but if you knew that through Jesus you could be healed, then would you not try to at least touch his cloak.
I have been there. I have been tried, weak, tired of praying, tired of trying, tired of no answers to my hardships, and when every one else has failed me the only thing I have is God.Sometimes I think God puts us in position that looks impossible, because He wants us to depend on Him. He does not want us to look to other people, doctors, or friends for advice. He wants to put us in a place so that He can show up and show out.
Can you imagine this women after 12 years how hopeless she must have been. And in the one moment that she reached out to touch Jesus, she was healed. In that one instant after enduring years and years of pain and sickness it was all gone, just because she decided to trust Jesus.
Can you do that?Can you relinquish all control of your life and tell God that you cannot handle these things on your own?
Even though it may be hard, even though you may not want to try one more time, if all else fails then you have no choice but to reach out and touch his cloak.
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