This is the familiar story of the woman with the issue of blood. Other Gospel accounts provide more details about her. This woman was a picture of suffering. Twelve long years she suffered from this affliction. The Bible tells us that she sought all of the help from the world she could. Medical experts of her day simply went through all of her money and left her no better than she was this day. Likewise we too can face long and debilitating conditions in this life. These can be medical or otherwise. Like this woman, we too tend to seek out the answers the world offers only to be left in the same or a worsening condition. The promises of this world are fleeting and empty beloved. They will not heal you and they will take everything you have.
But note that this woman had to come to Jesus. Another Gospel account says she had to press her way through the crowd just to touch the hem of His garment. Because while God has the authority -- He will not force it upon us. We have to get to the point like this woman and say enough is enough. We have to force our way through the crowds in our lives to reach out for Jesus. When we do we will discover the truth contained in the key verse -- Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. The Bible says if we turn to Him, He will draw close to us. Remember when the prodigal son decided to come back home:
So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. -- Luke 15: 20 (NIV)
God is filled with this same compassion for us today. Whatever issue it is that we are struggling with today -- He just wants us to turn to Him with it. Stop turning to the world with it -- the answers are not there! Press in and touch the hem of His garment today! Moving along in His day, Jesus comes to the house of the Synagogue leader discussed earlier:
When Jesus arrived at the official's home, he saw the noisy crowd and heard the funeral music. "Get out!" he told them. "The girl isn't dead; she's only asleep." But the crowd laughed at him. After the crowd was put outside, however, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! The report of this miracle swept through the entire countryside. -- Matthew 9: 23-26 (NLT)
Beloved, whatever is dead in your life -- God can bring it back! He is the Master over life and death. Only He has defeated the grave. There are far too many Christians walking in defeat. They walk without any of the power Christ appropriated for them on
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. -- Colossians 2: 6-10 (NIV)
We are supposed to rooted in Christ, built up in Him, strengthened in faith and overflowing with thankfulness. Instead we fall too easily for the lies of the enemy and hollow or deceptive philosophies sold to us by this world. It saps us of the power we need to have in this life. It often leads to a need for the one word the modern church is obsessed with -- revival. It seems the church has been perpetually chasing revival. My pastor was fond of saying if we ever pursued righteousness to begin with we wouldn't find ourselves needing to be revived so often! But the good news today is the key verse reminds us that the same Jesus from yesterday who raised this girl from the dead is the same Jesus today who can revive those things in your life that are dead as well. Don't buy the lies of the devil who tells you things can't change or things will never be better. Remember, when you sell yourself short on what you can accomplish it is really God you are selling short because He lives inside of you. God can bring it to life beloved!
