(Matthew 9:18-22; Mark 5:21-34; Luke 8:40-48)
She was a desperate women. For twelve long years she had suffered from a terrible sickness. She could still remember the day the issue of blood started. At first it did not concern her, but when the bleeding continued after several days it began to worry her. Nothing she did was able to staunch the flow.
The woman went to her family doctor, but he was unable to help her. Then she found some specialists, but they were just as powerless to cure her disease. After that she bounced from doctor to doctor in an effort to find a solution. Some gave her medicine, some told her to go on vacation to rest, and some just shook their heads in resignation. There were two common denominators between the multitude of doctors: they were unable to cure her and they charged her outrageous sums of money.
Now after twelve years she was completely broke. She had spent every single penny she owned on doctors hoping they would find a cure. Her pockets were empty, and her heart was devoid of almost all hope.
One day she heard about a man named Jesus. We do not know exactly what she had heard about him, but it could have been a report about the paralytic being let down through the roof or an account about the leper being healed. Somewhere she had heard a story about Jesus healing the sick and faith sprang up within her heart.
She said to herself, “If I can just touch the edge of His clothes, I will be healed.” Jesus became her last hope. She believed the reports she had heard about Him, and she was willing to step out in faith for her healing.
It was illegal for her to be in a crowd of people because her condition made her unclean. But she ignored the law and pushed her way through the crowd surrounding Jesus. Hundreds of people were around Him and she had to push, pull, and crawl through cracks in order to get near Him. Finally, she came up behind Him, reached out her hand, and touched the hem of His garment.
Immediately she felt the power of God flow through her body. The bleeding stopped and she knew her body was healed. She was healthy again!
Of course, Jesus realized that power had left His body. He had felt a sudden outpouring of power in response to the woman’s faith. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
The disciples thought the question was foolish. They told Him, “Master, all the people are crowding around you, how can you ask ‘Who touched me?’”
The woman heard the question of Jesus and realizing what had happened to her, fell trembling at His feet with fear, and told him the whole truth. She feared His displeasure, because according to the Law (Leviticus 15:19), her touch made Him unclean until evening time. But Jesus did not condemn her; instead He completed the healing process of her soul by saying, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
Power Points
- When you hear about Jesus, your life is about to change for the better. From the moment the woman heard about Jesus’ ability to perform miracles, she was focused on reaching Him. She knew Jesus was the answer to her problem.
- Speaking releases faith. The woman with the issue of blood said to herself, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed” (Mark 5:21-34). This confession opened the door for her to receive her miracle.
- The woman believed the reports she heard about Jesus. This belief literally created her miracle. Jesus explained, “Daughter, your faith has healed you” (Mark 5:34). Believing is the catalyst that turns God’s promises into God’s power. Every Biblical promise contains the power necessary to make it come to pass, if only someone will believe and act upon that belief.
- The woman took action by pushing through the crowd until she could touch the hem of Christ’s garment. Faith is never static, it always takes action. Begin using your faith right now and take action. Do something you were not able to do before. If you have not been able to stand up before, try to stand up now. If you have not been able to use your arm in a certain way, begin moving it now. Whatever you were unable to do before, use your faith and start doing it.
- Marilyn Hickey believes dis-ease is the exact opposite of being at ease. When Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood, He said “Go in peace.” For the first time in twelve years she was at ease. What a peaceful feeling it must have been to be completely free from disease. Jesus takes dis-ease and turns it into perfect ease. God is ready right now to heal you. God is a God of the now. He does not want to wait until tomorrow, or the next day, “now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation”(2 Corinthians 6:2). Now is the time for your salvation from sickness.
- After she was healed, the woman testified to Jesus about her healing. After we are healed, we need to testify by telling people about our healing. Our testifying produces faith in others so the circle of miracles can continue.
Do You Need Healing? Be Healed in Jesus Name!
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