Day 11: The Woman With the Issue of Blood (Mark 5: 25-34)
She came to see Jesus. How much she had heard about this Man who was healing people. Keeping her eyes fixed on His boat, she waited and watched for Him to emerge and step onto the beach. She just had to see Him. He was her last hope.
Reflecting back on her last twelve years brought more tears that stung her already swollen eyes. So many doctors…so many procedures…so much pain. She had been left penniless, and all her attempts to be healed had been for nothing. Year after embarrassing year, she watched her symptoms grow worse. The shame of being unclean, and the isolation it brought, had been worse than the bleeding itself.
Coming back to the present moment, she saw Him step out of the boat, but before she could reach Him, others came and whisked Him away. Dejected, she turned to go back home, realizing that her only chance had just slipped away. But all of a sudden she was aware that a group of people from the crowd had begun to follow after the Man. “This is truly my last opportunity,” she thought to herself. Turning back, she joined the crowd that was fast becoming a mob.
In her weakened state she persevered to stay with them, but they were pressing against her. All of a sudden a window opened up, and she could see Jesus! They were pressing against Him as well. And then the unthinkable happened. She tripped and fell to the ground. Believing that her last chance was gone, she made no effort to get up. But as she lifted her gaze from the dirt, she caught sight of a robe she recognized. Jesus was right in front of her! With her last bit of strength she strained to touch His robe. To her amazement and great surprise, her hand was full of that very robe. In that instant her hemorrhage stopped, and she knew she had been healed of her long affliction. Letting go of His robe, she began to tremble at the miracle that had just taken place in her.
This woman had great faith, but it was backed up by perseverance and determination to get close to Jesus. Do you have that kind of determination to get close to Him? How far will you go to be changed from the inside out? Or are you content to stay in your sickly spiritual state?
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