Such Faith!

Your faith has healed you…

She woke up that morning in high spirits as she felt the warm rays of sun shining onto her bed. It was a bright new day, and she was hopeful that it would be better than the previous day. As she got out of bed, she felt dampness on her sheets. “Oh no, not again!” she thought to herself. Her sheets were drenched in blood! Her heart sank. “When will this ever end? Will I ever be healed? Will I ever be free?” 

She quickly got up, changed, and soaked her soiled clothes. “I must get these washed before anyone sees them,” she thought. But it was too late. Someone saw her rush to the well to get water for her laundry. “Didn’t you wash your clothes yesterday?” her nosy neighbour asked. “I did,” she answered, wishing that the neighbour would go away. “Another accident, eh?” She remained silent, knowing that whatever she said would be used against her later. She quickly finished the laundry and hung her clothes to dry, and then retreated into her house where nobody would bother her. 

As she sat quietly in her house, she heard the neighbours talking animatedly. “A man is coming to town, and he heals people!” One word caught her attention – healing. “This could be what I have been waiting for!” She quickly changed and waited to hear more news from outside. Suddenly, she heard loud voices from the nearby pathway. She peeped out of the window and saw a huge crowd passing by, with some people wailing loudly. The neighbours asked some passersby what was going on, and they answered “The teacher is going to Jairus’s house to see his sick daughter.” She knew where Jairus lived. It was not that far from where she lived. She could catch up with the Teacher and ask him to heal her too! Finally, there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Perhaps today would be her day – the day she would finally receive her healing. 

She quickly got ready to leave, hoping and praying that the clothes she wore would conceal the bleeding for as long as it took to get to where the Teacher was and receive her healing. She dashed down a narrow path, hoping to catch up with the crowd. “There they are,” she excitedly said to herself as she looked ahead. As she got closer, however, she realized that the crowd was too dense – there were too many people trying to get to the Teacher, and the disciples were keeping them away. She stopped and shed a silent tear. “Maybe I should just go back home,” she thought. At that moment, another thought came into her mind. “This could be my only chance. I have to get to the Teacher. I know He can heal me!”

So she moved closer to the crowd, tiptoed to see exactly where the Teacher was and began to push her way in. She pushed and pushed, getting weaker by the second. But she was getting closer to Him. “One more push,” she told herself in a determined voice. “Just one more!” All of a sudden, she found herself just behind the Teacher, but she couldn’t reach Him. He was surrounded. Another thought came into her mind. “What if I touch His cloak?” So she stretched, and stretched, and stretched. Her fingers missed the cloak the first time, as the crowd kept pushing her further away from the Teacher. “I can do this – I just need to stretch!” So she pushed her way back towards the Teacher and as soon as she could see His cloak, she stretched again. This time she got it. She touched the cloak, right at the hem. As soon as her fingers touched the material, she felt different – excitingly different, like her body had been injected with new life. The bleeding stopped. She was free.

“Who touched me?” The Teacher knew that someone had touched Him. He had felt power leave His body.

As soon as she heard those words, she began to tremble, wondering what the Teacher would do to her. She quickly knelt at His feet and told him the whole story, hoping and praying that what she felt in her body was indeed what she had longed to feel for 12 years.

‘He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”’ Mark 5:34 (NIV)

That was it. She was healed. No more rushing around doing her errands hoping to get home before she had an accident. No more waking up to wet sheets. No more embarrassment from the neighbours. She was free. Completely free.

All because she believed that Jesus could heal her.

The faith that this lady had is amazing. She did what she had to do to get to Jesus because she knew that He was able to heal her. Her faith pushed her to stretch out her hand to touch the hem of his cloak. She didn’t give up until she made contact with Him.

Why did I decide to retell this story? Because when I read it a few weeks ago, it blew my mind even though I had read it several times before. This lady chose to take the risk of leaving her house and seeking healing from someone she had only heard of. Yet, here I am, a follower of Jesus who does not even demonstrate half of her faith! Wow! Her faith challenged me. Completely.

It’s my prayer that both you and I will demonstrate such faith in our lives, that we will trust God for whatever we ask for and not doubt in His ability to provide. He is faithful. We just need to trust in Him!

Get out of your comfort zone and go searching for him, and when you find Him, stretch out your hand and touch His garment. He’s waiting for you.

‘And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”’ Mark 5:34 (NLT)