January 18th, 2022

Reach Out and Touch Him!

Mark 5:27-28 (NIV)

"When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed."

      There are so many accounts throughout the Bible of Jesus' healing powers. One of my favorite stories is of the woman who suffered from a bleeding condition for many years. While John Mark the Evangelist did not specify the type of bleeding this woman suffered from, many say it was a form of hemorrhage. In today's world, this is a critical condition, so it's crazy to imagine that this woman was even able to live with this condition for twelve years (v. 25) let alone live a life of good quality. However, despite this woman's condition, despite how bad things looked for her, her hope and faith remained strong. I can just imagine this dainty, frail woman fighting through this large crowd of people, putting every ounce of effort and fight she had in her into touching the cloak of the Mesiah. Verse 29 tells us that, once she touched his cloak, "Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering." All she had to do was turn to him, and he healed her in ways medicine could not (v. 26).

      You and I may not be suffering from any sort of bleeding right now, but there are so many other types of sufferings that could be holding us back. For years and years, I was subject to depression, anxiety and addiction. Countless medicines later, I was only growing worse. When I realized that I had nowhere else to turn, I reached out to touch Jesus, and my suffering was over. He did to me what doctors and medicine could not. I was finally free of my addiction and in my right mind again. You may not be tied by the bonds of addiction or mental health issues, but you may need healing in other parts of your life. It is when we reach out and touch Jesus, that we will hear the beautiful words we've been waiting to hear for so long... "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." (v. 34).

How can Jesus heal you?