Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
November 25, 2023
Mark 5:21-34
21 Jesus crossed the lake again, and on the other side, a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. 22 Jairus, one of the synagogue leaders, came forward. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet 23 and pleaded with him, “My daughter is about to die. Please, come and place your hands on her so that she can be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him. A swarm of people were following Jesus, crowding in on him. 25 A woman was there who had been bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a lot under the care of many doctors and had spent everything she had without getting any better. In fact, she had gotten worse. 27 Because she had heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothes. 28 She was thinking, If I can just touch his clothes, I’ll be healed. 29 Her bleeding stopped immediately, and she sensed in her body that her illness had been healed. 30 At that very moment, Jesus recognized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 His disciples said to him, “Don’t you see the crowd pressing against you? Yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 But Jesus looked around carefully to see who had done it. 33 The woman, full of fear and trembling, came forward. Knowing what had happened to her, she fell down in front of Jesus and told him the whole truth. 34 He responded, “Daughter, your faith has healed you; go in peace, healed from your disease.”
Good Morning. Jesus is the great physician.
I think that all can agree that the woman had great faith, but have you really thought about it? I imagine that we’ve all had times when we have had a problem that just couldn’t be solved. No matter what we try, the problem persists. We reach a point where we are ready to try anything, even crazy things. Somewhere along the way, we become cynical. We get caught up in the idea that anything that sounds too good to be true then it probably is.
So, let’s go back to the woman in this passage. Do you get the sense that she is just trying another one of the endless attempts to be cured? I get the sense that she has pure faith. She believes so strongly that she doesn’t have to do anything but touch his clothes, and she will be healed. Unbelievable! Yet, that is what she does. She reaches out and touches Jesus’ garment, and because of her faith, she is immediately healed. She doesn’t request anything or receive a laying on of hands; she believes that healing will happen.
Jesus responds to her touching of his cloak by saying, “Daughter, your faith has healed you; go in peace, healed from your disease.” If we have even a little faith, we will be healed. "For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20-21).
Healing God, Thank you for this beautiful gift of life. We have so many doubts. Help us develop our faith today and forever. Thank you in the name of Jesus. Amen
Thought for the day: Reach out to Jesus today!
Place yourself in the hands of Jesus! Pastor Liz
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