I get several devotions a day and sometimes I read them and I can really feel God speaking directly to me. This one is a womens devotional that I get every Tuesday and this one I can identify with. She wanted God to heal her and in return He wanted her to tell her story. And when He healed her He also healed her spritual wounds by knowing Him and his power. I have experienced this myself over the last several months. While He is healing my back in his own time, at the same time He has come into my life and filled the void in my heart that I was so longing to be filled. So in return He wants me to tell my story. So this blog of mine is just that. My story.
Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and told him what she had done.
Mark 5:33
We live in a culture that idolizes health, independence, and strength while it shuns illness and weakness. Yet at some time in our lives we all find ourselves in real need of someone’s help. In some cases, we must swallow our pride and humbly reach out to receive the help offered, because we find ourselves in an extremely desperate situation. That’s when all pretenses of self-sufficiency have to be discarded.
The woman in Mark 5 had been desperately ill for years, spending all she had on doctors, without success. Although she tried her very best to take care of herself, she found herself without resources and without hope—except for Jesus. In desperation, she secretly reached out to touch not Jesus but just his clothing. She believed she would be healed and hoped she would be able to slink away afterward, without anyone noticing her presence.
Miraculously, the woman was healed by the power that simply went out from Jesus at her touch. He felt the release of his power at the physical connection—but did not let the woman disappear without offering that deeper connection. Before she returned home he asked one thing of her: the one thing she wanted to avoid. He asked that she show herself, tell her story, and in so doing allow Jesus to encourage her. Instead of letting her feel like she had stolen her miracle, Jesus wanted her to understand that he was delighted to heal her. He offered this woman much more than the physical healing she expected! He offered the gift of healing from her spiritual wounds and the privilege of knowing him.
When we come to Jesus in prayer, we may be confident that he has the power to help us, but are we encouraged that he delights in hearing all about it? When we tell our story to the Lord and allow him to heal our hurts, our faith is strengthened and our joy is increased as we see the kindness of our almighty God.
But what about accepting help from others? This step can still be very difficult. As believers in Jesus, we are called to be his hands and feet here on earth. Sometimes we will be the one bringing aid and comfort to others; sometimes we will be the ones on the receiving end. The amazing thing about God’s family is that we share his healing touch as we share our stories of his love in our lives and help each other through difficult times.
