Faith

Mark 5:21-34
A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman 21When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet 23and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." 24So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." 29Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"
31"You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?' "
32But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

I was reading in the book of Mark today, surprise I know, I have read this story many times and heard many takes on It, but I think it is worth looking at again. In the story, Jesus is walking around, surrounded by people on all sides, many rows deep, all calling out to him. Through the crowds, comes a women, a women who has suffered for twelve years with bleeding. I don't know about you, but when I am sick for a day, It takes me at least two to start gainning my strength back. Twelve years, imagine how weak she had to be. To push through all those people. She was most likely knocked down and stepped on, but she kept moving, reaching for Jesus, the hem of his robe, knowing, that she wasn't even allowed to be there, because she was unclean. She was so desparate to be healed that she fought her way through all those people, and then she touched His robes. His robes, and she felt herself being healed. How freeing that had to be, for the first time in twelve years, she was healthy. Jesus felt the power leave him and called for the one who touched him. I love his response, Daughter, your faith has healed you. He calls her daughter, His beloved child. For the first time in twelve years, someone had helped her, because she had faith that Jesus would make her well. I wish I had the kind of Faith she had. I have to constantly remind myself of this. What is your twelve year sickness? Can you reach out you weak hand and grasp the robe of the one who died for you? Reach out to Him, call Him, and know He is reaching for you, calling you beloved, wanting you!