For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.”
– Mark 5:28

The woman in this story has been suffering for twelve long years from an unknown disease. In those days, her disease would have also meant she was isolated and alone outside her community because of her uncleanness. She had spent all the money she had on medical bills, but there hadn’t been a single doctor able to help cure her.

Finally, after years of suffering, the woman hears about Jesus and all the miracles He was doing. Can you imagine the desperation she must have felt when she heard He was near and she could possibly somehow sneak in through the crowds, unnoticed, so she could get closer to Him? This was most certainly a time when God used a feeling of desperation, a feeling that often leads someone to sin, and instead, turned it into something beautiful and powerful – faith!

Not only was her faith strong, but so was her love for Jesus. She knew that if she were to touch Him she would be making Him unclean as well. But she also knew by faith that if she simply touched just the tiniest strand of a tassel on His garment that His power would heal her.

Here Jesus was, in this big crowd that was pushing in on Him from all directions. He was trying to make His way to another desperate person’s healing, but goes out of His way to show love to this woman. He could have easily just continued on His way. She was healed, so Jesus did not need to stop or do anything more. Instead, He stops and asks who it was that touched Him. Not only does Jesus make a point to let the woman know personally that it was her faith that healed her, but He also calls her “daughter”. Here she had been isolated by everyone for all these years, had probably forgotten what it felt like to be loved by anyone, and now she is being shown love by Jesus himself AND told that she is a child of God! Talk about a beautiful healing for a much-deserved woman!

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for always showing Your love to me in all the beautiful ways that You do. I pray that You will help me to remember Your love and stay courageous even in times of desperation when I feel like I am losing hope.

Daily Reading: Matthew 17

– Contributed by Heather Roberts