In Trouble? He sees You
Matthew 9:20-22 (NIV)
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 to her and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed at that moment.
When I was a teenager, I was disqualified from a swimming gala for almost drowning as I attempted butterfly stroke for the first time. Doggy-paddling to the finish line, I received a standing ovation with a roar of applause from the viewing gallery. In the embarrassment and shame of the moment, I just wanted to disappear and not be noticed.
The woman in Matthew 9 probably wanted to disappear and not be noticed. The health issue she suffered from made her ceremonially unclean under Jewish law. The shame and isolation she must have felt would have been crippling; she couldn’t even go to the temple. So she wanders incognito through a busy, crowded street hoping that Jesus heal her and restore her dignity. Not only does she receive the healing she longs for, but Jesus turns to face her. Nowhere to hide anymore; Jesus says, ‘Take heart, daughter’ your faith has healed you’ (made you whole). He doesn’t just heal her, but he calls her out of hiding and addresses her directly.
Malachi 4:2 contains a messianic prophecy that ‘the sun of righteousness will arise with healing in the fringes of his robe (wings).’ This woman’s testimony shows us that placing our faith in the promises of Scripture makes us whole.
Some Bible verses are such lifelines to me when I am troubled. Today, my encouragement to you is to seek Jesus, believing he is trustworthy and that his promises are true. It might help you to write some verses down, commit them to memory, and speak them aloud. After all, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, and I'm sure you and I both need more faith!
Today hear the words of Jesus, tharseō ‘Take heart, your faith has made you whole’.
Prayer - As I look to you today, Jesus, I ask for the things I need. I know that you see me. Only you can make me whole. Lord, increase my faith.