This morning I was  just sitting here kind of feeling sorry for myself once again.  Have you ever felt like you’ve hit a brick wall? Well, today I feel like I’m hanging onto the brick wall and sliding down with my fingernails making that annoying chalkboard sound all the way.  Weary from this  past five-year battle with chronic pain and spine problems,  I heard in my spirit, “What about the woman with the issue of blood?”  

 Her story is well worth repeating no matter how many times we have heard it preached.  It is found beginning in Matthew 9:20. In the prior verse Jesus had just been asked by a  ruler to come to his house and lay his hand on his daughter that she may live.  The rich ruler was asking for a house call from Jesus. Wow, can you imagine a house call from Jesus?  I love to just ponder on that for a while. The ruler was probably wealthy and had used every means to get help for his daughter and had heard that this Jesus was in the business of healing.  As Jesus is leaving with this ruler we hear about the woman with the issue of blood. It goes like this:  “Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” Jesus turned and saw her. Take heart, daughter, he said, your  faith  has healed you.  And the woman was healed from that moment.” Matt 9:20-22

I’m not making light of the ruler going to get Jesus for help. He had his own degree of faith which we all do.  But this woman with the issue was probably not real wealthy and who knows but maybe she had been trying to get close enough to Jesus for a long time. She probably had days of great weakness from this bleeding (hemorrhaging) and maybe she had shared her desire with a friend. Maybe her friend had told her many times, “Hey, I heard Jesus is down in the village healing people and maybe she didn’t have the strength to get there. So we don’t know how she got herself in position to touch the hem of Jesus’ cloak on this day but she did.  Maybe it was a spur of the moment  thing where there she was right behind The Healer she had been hearing about and she said real quickly to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” Maybe his cloak was blowing in the wind as he was rushing along with this ruler.  Whatever happened Jesus felt her touch his cloak or garment as some translations show.  Maybe he was touched by her because I’m sure people were always trying to grab and pull at him. But this woman, as she said to herself, “If  I only touch his cloak, I will be healed”,  most likely, gently and quickly touched his cloak  and  the Word says, “Jesus turned and he saw her. That is when he told her, “Take heart daughter, your faith has healed you.” The KJV says, “your faith has made you whole”.

I guess the reason God reminded me of this story this morning is because I needed to see the faith of someone else who had been suffering quite awhile with their issue like me.  Oh yes, I have prayed about it over and over but sometimes my weakness and pain gets the best of me and I don’t know if  I have the strength to seek Him out so I can touch the hem of his garment.  I allow my weakness and my pain to overcome my faith. Even if it’s the size of a mustard seed,  he has reminded me today, that is enough in times of struggle. 

“Lord, I thank you that you are The Healer and if I have faith the size of a mustard seed you will meet me in my pain and weakness.  I know that my timing is not your timing so Lord I ask that you grant me more strength to seek you out  and when I am in position to touch your garment it is my faith that will make me whole. Increase my faith Lord. In Jesus name.  Amen”