21 for she said to herself, “If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole.”22 But Jesus turned about, and when He saw her, He said, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.” And the woman was made whole from that hour. Matthew 9: 21-22
42 for he had one daughter only, about twelve years of age, and she lay dying. But as He went, the people thronged Him.43 And a woman having an issue of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her living upon physicians but could not be healed by any,44 came behind Him and touched the border of His garment; and immediately her issue of blood was stanched.45 And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those who were with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng Thee and press Thee, and sayest Thou, ‘Who touched Me?’”46 And Jesus said, “Somebody hath touched Me, for I perceive that virtue is gone out of Me.”47 And when the woman saw that she was not hiding, she came trembling and falling before Him, she declared unto Him before all the people for what cause she had touched Him, and how she was healed immediately.48 And He said unto her, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. Go in peace.”
Since our creation, God's desire has always been that we, as His children, follow Him. To surrender to Him and seek Him regardless of the condition we are in. He wants us to seek him in spirit and truth. God is always there for us; He will never be too busy not to hear our prayers. He always has time for those who present themselves before Him without reservations and in complete transparency.
It was what the woman with the blood issue did. Regardless of her condition and the possible consequences of her act, she decided to approach the one who possessed the power to free her once and for all from her illness. She touched the source of power, which is Jesus Christ, name above all names. Unfortunately, we look for answers, solutions to our problems, healing, forgiveness, and wisdom by approaching the wrong sources. We look for comfort or solutions in the wrong places (alcohol, drugs, miraculous cures, mentalist, in some person or place, etc.) We put our faith in sterile and deceitful places. But the woman featured in this scriptural portion found the right source, and through her faith, she found the healing she desired. Instead of being passive, she put her faith into action, and her action brought healing and salvation into her life. It is crucial to emphasize that she was not limited to being a mere spectator; she took her faith into action, this caused the power of God to flow through the mantle of Jesus, and the miracle occurred. But not everyone there became a partaker of what Jesus had to give them. There were many spectators. The same happens among Christians, some participate in the wonders of God, and some are mere spectators. Which do you want to be, spectator or participant? Do you want to be a doer or remain passive?
This story is a great example of what happens if you put your faith into action. She could have waited for Jesus to come to her, or she could have let the fear of the consequences of her actions overcome her, but no; she knew that she could lose her blessing, and she acted. How many of us stay in a passive position and never really get closer to God? Sadly, some people watch Him from afar, never getting involved. We do not realize that we all have access to Jesus. We ALL have access to seek him and accept him. No condition deprives us of the blessing of approaching the source of power and receiving a miracle. We are the ones who put obstacles on ourselves, the ones who put limitations on ourselves. We think we are not worthy, see ourselves as sinners, and think He would not listen to us. Excuses are mere excuses. If you knew that all the answers are in Christ and His Word, you would find the solution you are looking for. It would not be so difficult to approach Him and dare to touch the edge of his mantle. That healing that you are looking for, that solution that you have pursued so much, and the wisdom that you need to make the decision that you want to make, you will only find it when you seek the source, that is Jesus. You must put your faith into action and seek God in spirit and truth. How do you touch the edge of His hem? Dare to present yourself before Him and cultivate an intimate relationship with Him. Seek Him every day in adoration and prayer, giving yourself completely and without reservation.
Let go of the reins of your life and look for Him without pretenses, with transparency. Show yourself to Him as you are, just as this woman did when she accepted that she was the one who had touched Him. She could have stayed incognito and not admitted it, but she went a step further, and despite what her admission might have meant, she stood up, and in addition to receiving her healing, she received salvation.
Wow! Powerful. She was looking for a miracle, and Jesus granted her much more than she was looking for. It is how God is; He always gives us much more than we want. We have to do our part and put our faith into action. I invite you to come closer to the source of power that is Jesus Christ and touch the hem of His garment.
