I
wonder if she planned it when she woke up that morning or if it evolved through
the circumstances of her day. The scriptures don't give us a lot of
details, but I've often imagined what it would have been like to be her.
Did she rise wearily off her pallet in the wee hours of the morning, exhausted
from battling her pain in an effort to get some much needed rest? Did she
watch out the window as the other women in the village walked in small clusters
toward the well to gather their family's water for the day? Can't
you feel the loneliness that must have enveloped her after 12 years of living
the secluded life of someone considered "unclean"? Can't you
almost sense the longing that must have filled her heart for human contact - to
be loved and accepted? Can't you almost feel the weight of desperation
she must have had to be healed of her hemorrhaging and feel well again?
Perhaps
she heard the women chattering excitedly of all the people Jesus was healing in
the village. We don’t the HOW, but we do
know that at some point she became so focused on getting into the presence of
Jesus that everything else faded away into the background. Jesus was
coming! If she could just slip out and touch Him maybe she could be whole
and well again! For the first time in years she felt the warmth of hope
flicker in the darkest regions of her soul - a yearning that soon grew into an
intense hunger, permeating every area of her being. With every breath she
became more and more determined that no matter what she MUST see this man
Jesus. If she could just touch Him, she knew deep within her heart of
hearts she would be made whole again.
She
was so single-minded she didn’t care that she wasn’t supposed to be around
other people – She MUST see Jesus. She
didn’t care that she was so weak she had to crawl along the ground probably
getting stepped on and kicked. She MUST
just touch the hem of HIS garment. She
summoned every ounce of strength she had and when she was so exhausted she didn’t
think she could go any further, she put her eyes on Him and continued on inch
by inch. Would she make it before He
passed by? She must just keep
going. If she could just get close enough
to touch His cloak - to be in His presence if even for just a moment.
And
there He was. One final push…one reach…one brush of His garment…oh, the power
she felt surge through her body! And
then He stopped. And her heart stopped.
“Who
touched me?” he asked quietly.
And
he looked down at her, looked in her eyes with a love she had never known, and
reached out His hand to her. She felt a peace and joy like she had never
known! Jesus who heals LOVED her. Jesus who saves SAVED her. Jesus who knew everything about her CHERISHED
her and wanted to spend time with HER.
Can you stop for a minute and just imagine how it felt to lie there at
His feet and look up into His eyes as He reached down to take your hand – to touch
you when nobody had wanted to get near you for 12 years?
Ladies,
that same Jesus LOVES you. He died to
SAVE you. He CHERISHES you. No matter what you have done. No matter whether you think you are
worthy. No matter whether other people
think you are valuable. God LOVES
YOU. He desires a relationship with
YOU. If we truly believe that shouldn’t
we have that same single-mindedness to be in His presence? When was the last time we were so focused on
fellowshipping with Him that everything else faded into the background? Is there a longing, a hunger within us to
know Him – to have such an intimate relationship with Him that thoughts of Him
are foremost on our minds and hearts as we go about our daily lives? That is the kind of single-minded
relationship He desires to have with us.
Jamie
Hovey is challenging us to have a single-minded faith –much like the woman who
touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. A
single-minded faith that keeps our eyes and heart focused on Him. A single-minded faith that spends time in His
presence. A single-minded faith that
reaches out and takes His hand every morning and walks with Him all throughout
the day.
Jesus, we come to you praising
your name that you love us, that you cherish us, that you died on the cross to
save us from our sins that we might have a daily relationship with you. Create in us a hunger to know you. Create in us a single-minded faith that we
will keep our eyes focused on you no matter what is going on in the world
around us. May we always remember that
your hand is reaching out to take ours and walk with us through each and every
day, each and every trial, and each and every triumph.
Lord, close our ears to the lies
Satan whispers to us. Open our ears to
hear what you want us to hear. Open our
eyes to see what you want us to see.
Prepare our hearts, our hands, our feet to do what you want us to do
today.
In
your name and for your glory,
Amen and Amen
