“Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
Mark 5:34
Do you know this story? It’s a beautiful account of a women who’d been bleeding for twelve years. Doctors couldn’t figure out the problem and her condition was getting worse. Upon hearing that Jesus was near, she worked her way through the crowd to touch His hem.
In Mark 5:28 we read, “because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.'”
Well . . . touch His clothes she did. And healed she was!
“Immediately,” the Bible tells us, “her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.”
In recent conversations with a friend grieving the loss of her daughter, we’ve talked about the need to “touch His hem.” Asking Him for just one sign to show He cares. And then guilt creeps in … “shouldn’t our faith be strong enough that we just believe? Do we really need to see a sign?”
In those moments of desperation, when I need to see something tangible … a sign that He’s still Lord over all … I’m comforted to know that yes, indeed … I can reach out and touch His hem. He will honor my desperation.
After hanging up with my friend, our conversation kept popping into my thoughts on an annoyingly regular basis.
With a few more thoughts on the subject, I called and left her a message with the following:
That day the woman touched His hem … she wasn’t the only one there. The Bible tells of a large crowd gathered around Jesus. Jesus knew someone had touched Him, and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” The disciples answered {probably while rolling their eyes}, “You see the people crowding against you, there’s no way to figure out who touched you!.”
I would venture to say there were many in the crowd that day desperately needing a healing touch from Jesus. But it was the woman who knew, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”
And she was. It was her faith in reaching out for that hem that healed her. Do you think anyone else in the crowd gathered ’round got their needed healing? I think not. Well, ‘cept Jarius’ daughter, but that’s a different post.
I wonder what kept them all from asking, from reaching. Was it fear? Disbelief?
I don’t think we need to feel guilty for asking for a sign. I don’t think that means our faith is any less. I think it’s in those moments of sheer desperation when we cry out to Him, “I need a touch from you Lord!” that He honors our faith in knowing He’ll meet us.
And because God is God . . . when my friend called back to let me know she’d listened to my message, she had the best “of course story” ever! You see, after she listened to my message, she’d gone to her daughter’s room. As she started going through some things, she came across a church program. It was the first church service she’d attended after Emily died. When she looked at the piece of paper in her hands, she couldn’t believe {well . . . she could, but you know what I mean} what she saw … the front cover bore the image of the woman touching Jesus’ hem. And get this … the church service that day had nothing to do with the message of “the woman touching the hem.”
WOW.
In our times of desperation when we ache for a tangible sign … touch … from God and believe that He’ll do it, He’s faithful. Period.
But wait. It gets better.
So … in working on this post, I wanted to make sure my friend was okay with me sharing some of her private thoughts. She gave me permission and also remembered she’d never sent me a photo of the church bulletin she’d come across. When she texted me the following, I couldn’t believe {well … I could, but you know what I mean} my eyes.
I called her back immediately and said “You’re not going to believe this! Well … you will, but you know what I mean.” That is the very same image I found to use in this post. And I texted her this image:
The thing is … I don’t usually use any photos but my own. And with this image in particular, I scoured for a good thirty minutes looking for the perfect image that I could link back to some kind of source. And it sure wasn’t an easy feat!
Here’s the bottom line, when you believe, pure and simple, just believe that God will reveal Himself to you … He will.
Is there an area in your life today needing a touch from God? Emotional healing? Physical healing? I urge you to reach out and touch His hem. I promise … you’ll never be the same.
Wow, that is quite a story. And a little bit of a coincidence for me kind of, sometimes when I’m having a hard time with something and I pray, I like to lie still and imagine the Lord’s hand touching me and I feel calmed and better. I just did that last night : )
one word…goosebumps….
So moved by this today. I can’t wait to share this with my sister-in-law that truly is in need of his healing touch to stop her bleeding.
Got goose bumps and some tears from this one…
Amazing story that brought tears to my eyes and chills down my arms. Thanks so much for sharing! God is good!
Beautiful. Thank you.
This definitely gave me some goosebumps & chills…in a great way! Reminds me a lot of the “Mysterious Ways” stories they publish in Guideposts. Have you ever thought about writing some stories for them?
this is probably my favorite bible story since I was plagued with endometriosis for 4 years and know personally of this type of “bleeding” – desperate for a cure, feeling outcast and gross. I love her story, but your words …
Here’s the bottom line, when you believe, pure and simple, just believe that God will reveal Himself to you … He will.
I want this daily.
Beautifully told my friend… I’m reaching and He is receiving.
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