Please listen, Lord,
and answer my prayer!
I am poor and helpless.
Protect me and save me
because you are my God.
I am your faithful servant,
and I trust you.
Be kind to me!
I pray to you all day.
Make my heart glad!
I serve you,
and my prayer is sincere.
You willingly forgive,
and your love is always there
for those who pray to you.
Please listen, Lord!
Answer my prayer for help.
When I am in trouble, I pray,
knowing you will listen.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
The “theme” of our morning worship service today centered on the woman “with the issue of blood” who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was made well. This story comes from Mark 5:25-34, which says,
“In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had gone to many doctors, and they had not done anything except cause her a lot of pain. She had paid them all the money she had. But instead of getting better, she only got worse.
The woman had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him in the crowd and barely touched his clothes. She had said to herself, ‘If I can just touch his clothes, I will get well.’ As soon as she touched them, her bleeding stopped, and she knew she was well.
At that moment Jesus felt power go out from him. He turned to the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’”
Is this the Jesus you know? Do you follow the One who can make you well simply because you dared to touch the hem of His robe? Obviously I am not talking about us literally touching Jesus’ robe…clearly we cannot do this. But do we believe so deeply that Jesus cares for us…that He has unending compassion for us…that His deepest desire is to make us “healthy” and “whole” in every way…that we never hesitate to call on Him to do so? Do we operate in the confidence that…”When I am in trouble, I pray, knowing You will listen”?
Consider the courage and faith of this woman. To push through the crowd just for the chance to touch the hem of a robe - believing that this would be sufficient for Jesus to know you needed His help - seems extraordinary. And yet, what Jesus did for her…He stands ready, willing, and able to gladly do for each of us. Do we have as much faith as this woman? Do we truly believe that Jesus cares for us so deeply that simply calling on Him for help – and believing He will deliver it – is enough?
None of us contains the supernatural power of Jesus. We cannot instantly heal someone who touches our clothes and believes. But we can be there for others when they call on us. When others ask for our help, we can give it. When we see people in need, we can operate in compassion, kindness, grace and mercy toward them. Each of us can become a person who others know to be someone with integrity, honor, and reliability. We can be known as someone who shows the love of Jesus for others…someone whose love is always there for others, in His name.
So where does this leave you? Do you have faith in the love and compassion of Jesus that rivals that of the woman in Mark’s Gospel? Do you call on Jesus to meet your every need…and trust Him to do so? Are you known by others as a person who offers kindness, compassion, love, grace and mercy? Can others count on you to share the love of Jesus with them?
How you answer these questions matters greatly! If God is your GOD…and you truly are His faithful servant, you must be filled with faith and confidence in His power and ability to meet your needs. And you must be willing to demonstrate Jesus’ love to others. Have you “touched the hem of Jesus’ garment” lately? Isn’t it time you did?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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