Saturday, April 4, 2009

Seek Jesus in the Midst of Your Troubles

"And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him 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 9:20-22"

The woman in this scripture represents what can happen when we overcome our objections to following Christ. Her story of healing is told in three short verses of scripture. For the past twelve years she has had a life altering affliction. She has sought healing from all of the physicians of the day. None were able to heal her. She has spent all that she had. One day she hears of a man who is doing great and mighty things. She wonders to herself if he is able to also heal her. She wonders if he would be interested in the afflictions of a woman. Overcoming her fears and doubts, she chooses to seek him out.

As she sits on the hard earthen floor of her small room she thinks back on how her life has been. She has been very tired lately; hardly able to lift her arms and legs. Her legs and arms are sometimes invaded by spasmodic contractions accompanied by excruciating pain. Her lips are sore and chapped. She has cuts in the corner of her lips and open sores in her mouth. She has awakened many times to find herself face down on the floor having passed out while moving about her quarters. She wonders what this means. Her life is spiraling out of control because of the severity of her afflictions.

She thinks about how sad she has been. It seems that tears are a constant part of the day. She is alone all the time because she has become an untouchable. She is not allowed out in public but she has to go out sometimes to the doctors or to the market. Many know of her condition and they immediately change directions when they see her coming. To be touched by her will make them ritually unclean. They will not be able to participate in religious or social activities until they have cleansed themselves and waited the appropriate time for the cleansing to be fulfilled. She has not participated in any celebrations, religious or social, for twelve years. Her life is passing her by. No man will consider her for marriage because it is a violation of custom to even be in her presence much less talk to her. She will never have children.

She shakes herself free from her musings. Her thoughts return to this man people call Jesus. Should she even bother seeking him out? How is she going to approach this man? Should she send someone to bring him? Should she seek him out on her own?
She knows that she is at the end. The physicians have been unable to help her. She has lost so much blood. She is overcome by all of these other symptoms. She feels her life draining slowly from her body. To stay in this room will surely bring a certain death. She makes up her mind that she must act.

Who can she send to bring Jesus to her? There is no one she can think of. Her sisters are all married and prohibited from interacting with her. Her father has spoken harshly of this man. He would not allow her to go. Her mother cannot go because women cannot speak to other men besides their husbands. She realizes that she must seek him out for herself.

What will happen when she leaves her quarters? Will the crowds jeer at her? Will someone throw stones at her? Will his disciples let a woman in her condition near him? What should she do? She falls on her face and begins to cry out to God, “Help me, Lord. I cannot go on like this! What should I do? Is this man sent by you? Can he help me? Is it your will that he heal me?”


She feels a stirring on the inside. Certainty begins to tug gently at her heart. She begins to have some hope. She speaks based on her need and her emerging confidence, “I must go to him. I must see him face to face. I must touch him!” She feels stronger; she is determined that she will seek him. She grabs her throw, covers her head, and leaves the room.

It is a very hot, arid day. The streets of Capernaum are full. She pushes her way through the streets. She cannot inquire of anyone of Jesus. She has to find him herself. She walks through the streets until she reaches the center of town. She sees throngs of people gathered around a certain man. She knows that if she goes into the crowd, someone will recognize her and cast her out or stone her. She looks around but sees no other way to get through. She walks around to the other side. There are people peering through the multitude. She can hear a man speaking. Instinctively, she knows that it is Jesus. He is saying something about putting new wine into new wineskins and preserving both.

At the sound of his voice, she falls to her knees. She weeps quietly. The tears are different now. She knows that she has found the answer. Suddenly, it does not matter if she is healed. It did not matter if she dies on this day. She just needs Jesus. If he heals her good; but if not, then so be it. She gathers herself together. She feels that stirring on the inside again. She feels a soft tugging at her heart. Something is pulling her to go to him.

She begins to crawl. The closer she gets, the more confident she becomes that he will heal her. The closer she gets the more she realizes that he is her healer. The closer she gets the more she realizes that he is Messiah, Savior, Lord, and Emmanuel. She speaks softly to herself, because she is now crawling amongst the crowds in the back of the home, “If only I may touch the hem of his garment, I shall be whole.” She moves forward with determination.

When she comes up behind him, she feels the power of His presence. She continues to weep with joy because she knows that the moment of her salvation has come. She reaches out to touch Him. As she reaches for Him, she feels a sudden jolt rush through her. She lays hands on the hem of His garment and she knows that her affliction has ended.

The fountain of her blood dried up and she felt in her body that she was healed from that plague. The bible says that she was made whole from that hour. Jesus turns and when he sees her, he says, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made the whole.” That is the end of her story as recorded in the bible.

Our story is very often like hers. We may have an affliction in our body that we have dealt with for years. We may have an affliction in our thinking that keeps us from realizing the will of God in our lives. We may have an affliction in our finances that keeps us up at night wondering how we are going to make it. Our children may not always act right. Our spouses may not always act right. We may get laid off from our jobs. We may be dealing with the devastating consequences of past and present sin. Regardless of what our situation is, there is only one answer. Jesus is the answer. Jesus said, “Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30. We must resolve like the victorious woman in this story to overcome our doubts and our fears to seek Him.

Often when we are in the midst of a struggle, it seems that there is no way out. We must not lose hope! We must not give up! We must not give in! Jesus has already provided us with a way of escape. We must seek Him in the midst of our challenges. We must find time to pray, read His word, and seek His face. He will tell us what we must do. He will show us how to obtain the resources necessary. He will give us Godly wisdom for our difficult situations.
Finally, he will help us to be brave and of good courage so that we to can go out into the crowds. The crowds can represent our deepest fears. This woman was afraid to go in the crowd but she overcame her fear to seek the Lord. She could have turned around when she saw the crowds but she pressed on.

The crowds represent those things that keep you from Jesus. Guilt keeps us from Jesus. Sin without repentance keeps us from Jesus. Busy lives keep us from Jesus. Apathy keep us from Jesus.

The crowds represent the obstacle that is keeping us from deepening our relationship with Jesus. How would our relationship with Jesus deepen if we were to touch His hem, enter into His presence and fellowship with Him. When we sense that we are in a crowd, we must press like this lady did, to touch His garment.

We must not wait until we are in the middle of a storm to seek Him. We must seek Him in the good times and in the bad times. We must rise in the morning and seek Him. We must seek Him when we lay down. We must seek Him on both the sunny and rainy days. Like the woman with the issue of blood, we must seek Jesus!

© 2009 Michelle Fuqua