"Reaching with action"
Scripture to follow:
Matthew 9:20-22
John 16:7
James 2:17
Proverbs 3:5
There is a story in Scripture that never fails to stir my soul. In a few short verses it becomes the embodiment of what it means to have faith over fear. It's about a woman whose desperation drove her to reach out to Jesus, believing that just a touch of His garment could bring healing. The message in this week’s passage is simple: Have courage to reach out in action with your faith, and let Jesus take care of the rest.
In Matthew 9:20-22 We see a woman who has been afflicted by the same illness for 12 long years. This woman sees Jesus and through faith believes if she can just touch His hem, the very bottom portion of His garment, the affliction she has struggled with for over a decade would disappear. Pause with me and consider how powerful this is. The condition she was known to have been one of blood. In these times, this rendered her unclean. She was to be removed from social norms for as long as she was bleeding. This means, in this portion of scripture, she was risking cultural rejection by even stepping foot into a social setting. Not only this, she had to have enough courage to touch not just a mere person while her affliction was present, but the Messiah. When she saw Jesus, He was surrounded by His disciples, walking through town on His way to an important mission; to save the life of a ruler’s dying daughter. This means she had to not only risk cultural rejection, but she was also facing potential persecution from his followers for her boldness should it distract Jesus and stall Him from might have been considered a more important use of His time and attention. Moreover, most miracles known to followers of Jesus at this point in time had taken place with His physical hands laid upon someone or at least with words spoken directly from His mouth, yet we don’t see her attempt to stop Jesus and ask for even a second of His time. Her faith was that touching the mere fabric on His body could health her; meaning her faith had to surpass all she had seen or heard to be possible of Jesus’ abilities.
What follows is one of the most reassuring pieces of scripture I know. When she is able to reach out and touch Jesus, He turns to her and says “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Matthew 9:22) She was healed.
This portion of scripture is so moving because I can feel this woman’s need for Jesus in my bones. Haven't we all found ourselves at the end of our ropes, yearning for a tangible encounter with our Savior? I've often wished to gaze into His eyes or feel His reassuring embrace in moments of desperation. In these three verses, every human’s necessity for a Savior becomes palpable.
If there is one single reframe that has transformed my faith, it is embracing my need for my Savior. Realizing my limitations are no longer to be feared, for where my abilities end, Jesus’ power begins. It changed everything when Jesus spoke directly to me in a moment of pure grace and helped me understand what He told the disciples in John 16:7 “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”
Through the Holy Spirit, we have a constant connection to Jesus and the Father, enabling us to reach out to Him in every circumstance. Every time we call upon His name, we are reaching out and touching His hem. We may not always be certain of the outcome we are reaching out for, but we can have absolute faith in the One we are reaching out to. We can take this reminder to be bold in our faith, allowing ourselves to follow through with action. (James 2:17) Jesus calls us to be courageous, trusting Him to fill in the gaps when we don’t know our full direction or have all the skills and answers needed. Our job is to seek Him and be willing to move closer to where He’s calling us in our faith. Everything else is in the capable hands of our Savior. (Proverbs 3:5)
So Beloved, this week, be bold in acting on your faith. Ask God to lead you to the right spaces, to trade your perspective for His, then be courageous in taking steps forward, trusting Him to bring the victory.
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