This weekend I had the delightful privilege of speaking at a women’s event called “Precious and Powerful” in Rock Island, Illinois. It was so wonderful to see women of every background coming together for fellowship and to learn how to have a deeper and more genuine relationship with God. To learn how the Lord truly sees each of us, and to allow that to change and transform our lives.
And that’s exactly what happened. There was such an atmosphere of expectancy…and I don’t believe that any of us left the same as when we arrived.
My talk centered on a rather obscure woman who suffered from a terrible ailment. The Bible tells us that she had been menstruating non-stop for twelve years! And despite the fact that she had sought help from many physicians, she not only wasn’t cured, but she had grown much worse.
The Jewish law said that during a woman’s cycle she was very restricted from physical interaction with the public. And since hers was a continual flow, her home had become a veritable prison.
Can you even fathom the intense loneliness and isolation… longing for a touch? Oh, she had been touched before, but only by hands that harmed, not healed. The doctors were happy to take her money, but left her more weak and empty than before.
She had obviously heard rumors about Jesus, and how He had healed everyone that He had touched. So when the news that He was coming to her town reached her, she knew what she had to do.
Desperation brought her to this moment. A moment where she would break all the rules…risk everything for the chance to be free from all the restrictions and pain that she had endured for far too long.
And so she stepped out into the light of day, prepared to enter the packed crowd that surrounded Jesus. She had decided that she only needed to touch the hem of His garment…and she would be completely healed. That would be worth any price.
So she pressed her way past all the people, allowing no one to stop her. And finally reaching her hand out she touched the fringe…and immediately felt something shift within her. And she knew…knew with absolute certainty that she had been healed!
There’s much more to this story, and so I will write a bit more on it tomorrow. But what about you? Does any part of her story resonate with you? Have you ever felt helpless? Hopeless? As if this is the way things have always been and nothing will ever change?
Well the amazing thing is that you don’t have to wait for Jesus to come to town. Your “cure” is not dependent upon all the circumstances falling perfectly into place. Jesus already paid the ultimate price for your freedom when He died on the cross!
The truth is that Jesus invites all of us to “touch the hem of His garment”. He willingly steps into our darkness-our swirling emotions and circumstances that are spiraling out of control. And He says “Come”. To give Him all your brokenness; your longings…shattered dreams. There is healing and wholeness waiting for all those who come to the foot of the cross.
Song of encouragement: http://youtu.be/WbaDlPg18HU “One Touch” Nicole C. Mullen
Verses to ponder: Mark 5:24-34
Another good one!
God has gifted you to give out His Word. Don’t hesitate to obey and follow Him – even if it looks scary, even if it goes against your upbringing, even if it seems to be so very different than us. God is totally different than us and He is larger than anything that might come before you. He will carry you through all your fears, all your concerns.
Be a blessing to Him by being obedient to His calling on your life.
He is good!
amen! God is amazingly good!
Thank you Jenny again for your words of encouragement. It so amazing to me that Jesus has made Himself so available to us, a lowly people that truly don’t deserve His unfailing, non-judging love and grace. How awesome is it to know that all we have to do is turn to Him in any and all situations and He is there for us to cure, counsel and console. So Blessed He is our Brother.
and no matter where we are in our walk, we still need to touch the hem of His garment…He remains the cure for all that assails us. thx Cindy:)
Awesome! You inspire me (and others) to dig deeper into God’s Word. He uses you to apply biblical teachings to our lives. You truly have a heart for redemption! Thank you!
thanks Beth! I so enjoyed the weekend with everyone…we were a great team! hope we get to do that again soon. thank you for leading us in such Spirit-filled worship.
Wow, I never realized how much of a prisoner of her own home this woman was. And I feel like a prisoner in our tiny apt in south TX.?! I like how you’ve written that Jesus “…willingly steps into our darkness…and says ‘Come’.” But even more, I like when Jesus does that for me…and how He has soo many times.
And what an awe-inspiring truth that the one and only HOLY SON of a HOLY GOD longs to embrace us with HIS mercy, truth, and grace.And that embrace begins with you…me…every heart…every life… reaching out to JESUS ” just as i am , just as you are..just as we are without one plea but that HIS blood was shed for me”…you…us.
thank you Jenny for being such a precious and powerful voice for and through JESUS….our touchable SAVIOUR and LORD