Twelve Years of Misery. Healed by Jesus.
In Mark 5, we read the story about a woman who had a gynecological problem for 12 long years:
“And a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse, after hearing about Jesus, came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she thought, ‘If I just touch His garments, I shall get well.’ And immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. And immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my garments?’ And His disciples said to Him, ‘You see the multitude pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.'”
As I reflected on this story, I realized there are some important principles for us to digest. First, the woman’s problem was chronic. Twelve years worth. Do you have a chronic physical problem?
She had endured much at the hands of many physicians. She had searched and searched for a cure. Perhaps she had friends that suggested the latest, newest treatment, diet, or therapy. She’d tried it all. How about you? Have you tried all kinds of things to heal your problem?
She spent all that she had. Ouch. She’d exhausted her financial resources, given it all to find that elusive cure. Have you spent buckets of money looking, searching for anything to bring relief?
After doing all that she knew to do, she was only getting worse. The bleeding wouldn’t stop. She had to be frustrated. It was draining her of energy and she was oh so tired of dealing with this affliction day in and day out. Undoubtedly, she was at her wits end. Ever felt that way?
Then she heard about this traveling preacher named Jesus. It was a long shot, but why not? She’d tried everything else. She decided to do everything she could to get close to him. He had healing power, right? So she pushed and squeezed her way through the crowd. She was so close, but everyone was pressing in. If only she could get close enough …. For us, Jesus is a mere whisper away. We don’t have to push and claw to get at Him. He is right there.
She had to be excited. With her own eyes, she’d seen others touch Him and get healed. In fact, everyone He touched was healed. It was her turn! If only she could reach Him–and then she did. She persisted, and reached her goal. She had touched the Master! Do your prayers touch the Master?
Jesus sensed the healing power surge out of Him. And she knew it too because the bleeding stopped.
She told Him her whole story, her long journey in getting to Him. With compassion, with power and love, He told her that her faith had made her well. And how about you? Is your faith strong enough, active enough to bring healing? This woman didn’t care what others said. Maybe her family ridiculed her for seeking out this guy Jesus. Made fun of her for looking for a spiritual solution. We all have those people in our lives. Ignore them and ramp up your faith.
This woman tried everything until finally, she tried Jesus. What if she had gone to Him first? Think of what she would have saved. Twelve years of misery dealing with bleeding. All those doctor visits. The time wasted. All those uncomfortable treatments. And the money! She’d still have a savings account if she’d gone to Jesus first.
Let this powerful story be a reminder. Next time you have an ailment, go to Jesus first. Forget the advice of naysayers. Believe in His power and love to let your faith make you well.