Staying Close To Jesus
It’s always so neat when we hear a verse or passage of scripture that we’ve heard so many times before that we practically know it by heart, and all of a sudden the Holy Spirit
gives us a totally new way to look at it! That’s what happened as I was reading a devotion this morning that used Luke 8:46-48; the story about the woman with issue of blood. It was like a light bulb went off in my head, and instead of hearing about the woman’s healing, I heard that when we stay close enough to Jesus to touch His garment, power goes out from Him and we are healed and will live in peace! I couldn’t wait to go check out the rest of the passage and couldn’t believe how different it looks to me now. Here’s Luke 8:43-48, which says And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” And in The Amplified Bible it says And a woman who had suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years and had spent all her living upon physicians, and could not be healed by anyone, Came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment, and immediately her flow of blood ceased. And Jesus said, Who is it who touched Me? When all were denying it, Peter and those who were with him said, Master, the multitudes surround You and press You on every side! But Jesus said, Someone did touch Me; for I perceived that [healing] power has gone forth from Me. And when the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came up trembling, and, falling down before Him, she declared in the presence of all the people for what reason she had touched Him and how she had been instantly cured. And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your confidence and trust in Me) has made you well! Go (enter) into peace (untroubled, undisturbed well-being).
Wow! There’s SO much about this woman’s situation that we can relate to as we apply it to our own situations as we stand for the restoration of our marriages. First, she had tried everything known to man to resolve her problem, as we all have. But NOTHING worked, as we’ve all discovered! In total and utter desperation she turned to Jesus, thinking that she just needed to get close enough to Him to touch His garment, because she hoped and believed He would heal and restore her, but she had to fight against the pressure of the crowds to do that, which is something we know ALL about too! Then when she got close enough to Him, at the very moment she touched Him, she was instantly healed and delivered, and was immediately aware of the Lord’s healing power in her body and life, just as we are.
Since Jesus already knew who had touched Him, it’s obvious He didn’t need to ask who it was. But He knew how important it was for the woman to give her testimony…if He hadn’t insisted on knowing who it was, and if the woman hadn’t come forward and testified, we wouldn’t know about her miraculous healing and restoration today, and her testimony wouldn’t have given the hope and encouragement to the countless people it has for generations, just as it does today. And the same thing is true about sharing our praises and testimonies, which are evidence and proof of the Lord’s awesome power and faithfulness! They’re also used to bring hope and encouragement to those who need it, just as we all have at some time or another, especially during difficult times. That’s why 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 says Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
Another very important point I noticed for the first time, which always seems to be overlooked and lost in this passage is how the woman realized that her act of faith could not go unnoticed by Jesus! wow! How wonderful and reassuring it is to be reminded that our Lord and Savior will NOT fail to notice when we demonstrate and walk in faith, putting all of our trust and confidence in Him as this woman did. And Jesus’ reminder that it is BY FAITH IN HIM that we are healed and restored; that our prayers are answered, and through which we are able to live in peace (which means untroubled, and with undisturbed well-being) is not at all insignificant!
Finally, as I read this passage again this morning, John 15:4-5 came to my mind because it says Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. How much more peace and joy we’d all experience as we stand for our marriages and face every challenging situation in our lives if only we’d remember these powerful words from Jesus and make staying close to Him (close enough to touch Him) a priority in our lives instead of trying to figure out how we can do everything for ourselves. We just need to take Him at His word and believe and rely on the awesome promise we have in Psalm 37:4-6, which says Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. So let’s do our best to be more focused on staying close to Jesus; delighting in Him; committing ourselves to doing things HIS way; and trusting in Him, with absolute confidence in His power and faithfulness to bless us with healing and restoration!