Pain to Purpose Devotional - DAY 36
Week 6: Jesus & The Early Church
SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 14:34-36 (NIV)
“And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched were healed.”
Psalm 103:3-5 (NIV)
“He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things.”
DEVO:
Recently, I was having a conversation with someone about her healing journey. She mentioned how she felt she had tried so many things: counseling, books, doctors, advice from friends. She had tried all the hacks the world had to offer and then realized she had left out the most important thing, Jesus.
For so many of us, we have tried so many different avenues to find healing. Some ways have been inherently healthy and good like counseling and community. Other ways have added to our ache like trying to numb the hurt through addictions or bad relationships. It reminds me of a story in scripture of a woman who had tried every possible cure for her pain. The story is found in Mark 5:
“A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.” (Mark 5:25-29 NLT)
This story is best understood through a cultural lens. For a woman in that time to be suffering from a bleeding disorder like this would have meant she was considered “unclean,” a label that would have impacted nearly every aspect of her life. It would have kept her from attending worship, it could have prevented her from getting married and if she was married, it could have led to sufficient grounds for her husband to divorce her. The fact that this was ongoing meant that this woman lived in a perpetual state of isolation and desperation. She had spent all she had in order to find healing, trying anything and everything to improve her condition. And yet, instead of getting better, she got progressively worse.
Imagine the defeat and discouragement she must have felt. Perhaps you don’t have to imagine because you can relate through your own search for healing. Maybe you too have tried all the hacks and all the self-help and all the methods the world has to offer when it comes to your own journey through pain. Nothing seems to work.
It was in that very desperation, after she had exhausted every other route, that this woman decided to try Jesus, a man she had heard rumors about who heals even the worst of diseases.
The crowds surrounding Him were greater than any packed concert venue or Black Friday sale. People were pushing and pulling their way to be near Him as He was making His way through town to help a man whose young daughter was dying. And this woman was no different, she was determined to get as close as possible while the fear of being seen by others must have kept her crouched low and hiding her face. She wasn’t looking for a sit down with Him or even the healing touch of His hands. She just wanted to touch the hem of His robe. She believed that even the very coat on His back had the power to bring her healing after everything else had failed her.
And she was right.
“Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my robe?’
His disciples said to him, ‘Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’
But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. And he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.’” (Mark 5:30-33 NLT)
Where did she come up with the notion that she could momentarily grasp a piece of fabric and healing power would transfer into her body? This seems far-fetched. Unless of course, you know as this woman probably did, what the Old Testament prophets said about the coming Messiah: “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings . . . (Malachi 4:2 NKJV).” This woman’s outstretched hand wasn’t merely a shot in the dark, last ditch effort. It was a declaration of belief and surrender that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah who alone was worthy to sit on the throne of her life.
What strikes me most about this story, however, is not just the faith of this woman, but the response of Jesus. He noticed the hope-filled graze of a woman’s hand on the hem of his garment while droves of people were pushing against Him. And not only did He notice it, but He wanted to heal her.
I don’t know about you, but at times in my own pain to purpose journey I have wondered if Jesus saw my suffering or cared enough to bring relief to my ache. When I was reeling from the loss of Amanda and all the other losses that came with it, I often asked The Lord if He noticed and cared enough to heal me. This woman’s story offers a resounding yes to those questions. Even in the midst of being pulled, quite literally, in a thousand directions, Jesus stopped for one woman who had lost faith in all the other avenues of healing and put all her faith in One.
His disciples thought He was crazy when He asked “Who touched my robe?” The sheer size of the crowd made it nearly impossible to decipher such a thing. And yet, Jesus offered the one who did, the opportunity to step forward in faith and she took it. In spite of her fear, she jumped at the chance to receive healing even though stepping forward shined an awkward spotlight on a woman who had been ostracized and relegated to the fringes of her community.
Perhaps you find yourself weary and discouraged right now. You’ve spent so much time and money on all the modalities of healing this world has to offer. You’ve taken the steps to get help through counseling. You’ve researched and found the best doctors in your area. You’ve read every book you could find. You’ve asked every friend. You’ve spent all you have: emotionally, financially, spiritually and yet, healing feels so elusive.
And while Jesus has the power to heal our bodies and our minds, He is most concerned with healing our spirit. He decidedly delayed his arrival to Jairus’ house in order to look this woman in the eye and intimate his concern for her. More important than what He offered her by stopping the physical ailment that plagued her, Jesus healed her in the place only He could. Her spirit.
This story isn’t a promise that if you bring your physical or emotional pain to Christ, you will immediately receive a miracle. But it is a promise that if in your desperation, you lean in to touch Him, He will stop, pay attention to your hurt and offer you healing in the depths of your soul, the place where nothing of this world can reach.
I wonder, in your quest to heal have you accidentally left out the most important balm? Have you forgotten the power and importance of reaching out your hand, in desperation and defeat, to the very One who longs to take away your suffering? Jesus is in the business of healing so when you’ve found yourself out of options that the world has to offer, take your pain to Him. Let your faith in His power be your outstretched arm to Him and let Him say to you, “...Your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.” Friend, He wants to give you the peaceful reassurance that He sees, stops and longs to heal you.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND JOURNALING:
What are some ways you have searched for healing, other than Jesus? How have those ways helped? How have they fallen short?
How have you left Jesus out when it comes to your healing?
If you’re being honest, do you really believe Jesus could bring you the kind of healing you are longing for? If not, spend some time in prayer asking Him to increase your faith. If you do, ask Him to encourage your own healing journey like He did for this woman.
PRAYER:
Lord, give me faith like this woman who in desperation and discouragement, sought You to heal what only You could heal. Help me to not rely on the offerings of this world, although they may be tools you use in my journey from pain to purpose, but let my dependence and reliance be solely on You. Give me the kind of faith that believes even just a touch of your garment can do what no one else on this earth could do. In your name, Amen.
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