Daily Devotional: Reach Out to Jesus

Read Mark 5:27-29

One of the women from the Bible I admire greatly is known as the bleeding woman. She was a woman filled with tenacity and faith. We know her as the bleeding woman, because she had an illness that made her bleed continually.  What made this especially unbearable is that this condition made her “unclean” all of the time according to Jewish law.  This meant no one was allowed to come into contact with her nor with things she touched. This condition made her a social outcast by law. “She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse” (Mark 5:26).  This had to be discouraging.  We cannot help but understand her great desire to be healed, and when she heard about Jesus, she saw one more opportunity. She decides to take the risk and go find Him.  She is certain that if she even touches His cloak she would be healed.

About the same time our heroine is heading to Jesus, a well-known (and likely wealthy) synagogue ruler, Jairus, approaches Jesus and begs Jesus to come to his house to heal his dying daughter.  Jesus agrees and follows Jairus to his home.  It was while Jesus was on His way to Jairus’ house that the bleeding woman finds Jesus. Through the crowd, she comes up behind Him. . . and touches His cloak.  I can just imagine her anticipation as she draws closer to Jesus.  I don’t sense any hesitation from her.  She did not wait for Him to notice her.  She did not wait for the crowd to clear.  She did not wait for Jesus to heal the Jairus’ little girl. She simply took action and reached out to Jesus and touched His cloak.  As quickly as she did that, she was healed!  Her bleeding stopped immediately.  Jesus also knew she had just touched His clothes, but asked, “Who touched me?”  I am so amazed by this woman, because she, knowing she has just broken the law by touching Jesus admits that it was she who touched Him. Jesus says to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering” (Mark 5:34).

Here is a woman who demonstrated faith in action!  When you pray for healing, for a provision, for anything, do you pray for God to bring it to you; or like the bleeding woman do you head straight to God and reach out to Him in faith?  I can see such a beautiful lesson in the life of this woman.  She does not send someone else to bring Jesus to her.  She does not wait for the perfect moment.  She takes immediate action.  Do not wait for that perfect opportunity. No longer hesitate. Reach out to Jesus, now.