Mark 5: A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She 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.27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

30 At 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?’ ”

32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then 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.”


    Many times it is hard for Western women of the 21st century to fully comprehend the restrictions that women lived under during the days that Jesus walked the face of the earth.  Our culture is so very far removed from the customs and traditions of the ancient Hebrews.  In studying what was permitted and what was not permitted, one thing we understand is that Jesus did more to elevate the status of women than any other single human being in all of history. His compassion faileth not.
    The woman described in Mark 5, had been ill for twelve (12) long years.  Not just a headache.  The King James Version calls her ailment as an "issue of blood."  Other translations describe her affliction as: "...constant bleeding,"  "...a discharge of blood,"...."...a hemorrhage,"..."chronic bleeding."..."a bloody flux."  Under hygienic social restrictions the woman would have been banished from normal routines.  She was considered "unclean."  Much like a person diseased with leprosy , she would have been excluded from community activities and forced to announce her "uncleanness" when in a public place.  This woman had endured such a heavy weight of afflictions for over a decade. Yet, hope sprang to the forefront of her soul as she heard the testimonies of those others that had been perfectly healed of divers kinds of illnesses.  So hopeful was she that she dared to defy the societal restraints that accompanied her affliction and seek relief at any cost.  Perhaps it was her desperation that prompted her courage or her courage that circumvented her desperation.  Perhaps the two worked in tandem. Nevertheless, the woman assumed a position that would both hide her from judgmental eyes and position her to touch "but the hem of his garment."  
     On her knees, under the radar of the critical Pharisees, she hunkered down and waited for the crowd to carry Jesus past her quivering body.   For she "thought, If I can but touch his clothes, I can be healed."  Two very exceptional realities are presented to us in this passage. First, the position of humility is by and far the one that gains ground in the spirit world.  We have been versed in the Proverb: "Pride goes before a fall."  However, the enemy has done a switcharoo with this verse:                                     Proverbs 61:18 states: " Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall."
The difference is life threatening.  If a person believes pride may make them fall, they are rather confident that they can get back up and continue on.  But, if pride brings destruction, there is no recovery.  Pride is a deadly sin whether you are saved or an unbeliever.  Only the opposite spirit will bring us into the healing presence of Almighty God; "...humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and in due season He will lift you up." 
       Secondly, our unnamed heroine in  Mark 5, was tenacious. Not only  willing to get as low as necessary to obtain what had been beyond her grasp for twelve very bloody years, but  her bold, clandestine assertiveness  won for her the desire of her heart.  Her  remarkable unspoken  faith  manifested in a prophetic act of laying hold of the goodness of God, even the hem of His anointed garments. Immediately, the issue of blood was dried up and she knew in her body that she was healed.
       Amazingly, she was not the only one that knew that healing virtue had flowed downward to fill the valley of despair.  Jesus, stopped and asked His disciples to identify the person that had received the healing impartation.  Encompassed about by hundreds, maybe thousands of bustling, eager inquirers, the disciples were"put-off" that the Master would even ask such a question.  "Are you serious?'' they replied.
     Jesus was serious for He had felt the virtue leave his body.  Silently he searched for the glow of supernatural health that would be evidenced on someone's countenance.  Just a few feet away from Jesus, she suddenly appeared at his feet, again.
Trembling with awe-struck fear and the after -effects of the anointing that breaks every yoke, she haltingly confessed that she was the recipient of His ever-flowing mercy and grace.  Kindly, gently, with great compassion the Lord lifts her to her feet and pronounces a blessing: “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
     Do you find it compelling that even though she was already healed, even though Jesus already knew that healing virtue and gone from His body, he still instructs her to go in peace and be freed from suffering.  Was this an admonition to throw off the lingering emotional traumas that so often accompany pro-longed physical afflictions.?  He released peace over her troubled psyche and instructed her to walk free of any lingering emotions of self-pity, fear or rejection.  "God in peace and be freed from your suffering." 
     Touching the hem of His garment always brings healing.  And when we are open with the Lord's questioning, and "tell Him the whole truth," we often find ourselves pouring out of our hearts the horrible years of horrific trauma that will continue to  hamper even our healing if not identified and released. Jesus knew this and dealt with this woman on all three levels of her being:  1) physical, "Your faith has healed you. 2) spiritually, "Go in peace." and 3) emotionally, "be free from our suffering."
     Let us not neglect such a great salvation!  The Lord has truly proided for us everything we need pertaining to life and godliness, let us not give up until we walk healed, whole and in complete peace and freedom. 
AMEN!

...are ordered by the Lord. (Psalms 37:23)
     I understand, according to Jesus, that I am more valuable than many sparrows.  (Matt. 10:31).  That, truly, the Father is continually cognizant of what I am thinking and my words before I say them. (Psalms 139:1-4)  His watch care over me is constant and unrelenting.  What I tend to forget is that by His own hand he arranges my day and perfects everything that concerns me. (Psalms 138:8) Yes, He does!
     Last evening, as the dust finally settled from the multitude of activities, I sighed a sigh of relief.  Another day closing with the promise of rest. Then a light flashed in my psyche that indicated maybe I was forgetting something.  I rehearsed the days commitments and took a look at my mental calendar; Tuesday evening and all is well. Oh, Tuesday!  That means tomorrow is Wednesday:  discipleship training... in the morning at 10:00... my house. My short lived repose was quickly replaced by a harried feeling of frustration.  The house was disorderly and eager seekers-of -truth would arrive in less than 10 hours. Not too bad a time frame if I decided to forget sleep and just concentrate on the neglected domestic duties. Then, I had another beam of light invade my brain:  "just text the gals and meet at McDonalds."  It was a well received suggestion that I immediately acted upon.  Within minutes the pressure was off, the meeting place rearranged and my soul ready for sleep.
     Discipleship has been a part of my life from early in my Christian walk.  A dear lady took the time to teach my heart the rudiments of regular Bible study, scripture memorization, prayer and witnessing. I always feel fortunate and blessed when the Lord connects me with young believers that are hungry to mature in the Lord.  The large corner table  at McDonalds was a perfect place to spread our Bibles, notebooks and laptops to fellowship around the promises and purposes of the Lord.  Fellow follower of the Lord,  Dawn, offered to buy coffee and I turned to secure the corner classroom.  It was then that I noticed a single woman sitting at the back of the establishment, head bent over paperwork and a laptop opened in front of her.   Walking in her direction, I realized I knew this person, and knew her well.  As I approached the gray mesonite, stainless-steel trimmed  table, she looked up at me without recognition.  I smiled and said, " I know you!"  She looked closer and then jumped to embrace me, "Oh, my, I didn't expect to see you here!"  Of course not! I had not planned to see one of my dearest and best friends sitting  at a table in McDonalds either.  Our friendship has spanned several decades and began in a discipleship Bible study. Seeing her was a rare treat because she has relocated to another state.  We briefly caught up on each others activities, praised God for crossing our paths and then continued with our predesignated appointments. 
    Dawn, Erin and I were freely discussing the goodness of God across from each other in the enclosed playground area of the eatery.  We chose that table, because children are not usually there in the early mornings and distractions are less frequent.  However, there was a shift change soon to occur and the next set of  employees were eating and fellowshipping at a table adjacent to our own. As I quoted scripture concerning  how precious we are to the Lord: "We are the chosen of God, we are accepted in the beloved... we are fearfully and wonderfully made...(at that point, I noticed an older female worker that was seated closest to us nodding her head in agreement to my declarations and smiling a toothless grin )... He knit us together in our mother's womb"...an ease-dropping employee spoke up, "Excuse me, do you  mind if I give you my testimony." Without waiting for permission, she continued, " I was in jail two years ago, hooked on methamphetamine...a preacher came to the jail and preached to me the way of the Lord....I gave my life to Jesus and He completely delivered me from that dope....I heard you quote that scripture about being knit together in my mother's womb...the Lord spoke that Word to me this morning and I know it's true...and something else (she was speaking fast and loud with great emotion)  ...my kids is hooked too, but I know my God will deliver them too.."  At that point I was shouting hallelujah!!!!  God is so awesome!!!!
    That same light that had flashed in my psyche the night before, flashed again:  "The steps of a righteous man are ordered of the Lord.....in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."  One simple direction change, orchestrated by the Holy Spirit, set the stage for me to be blessed in unexpected ways:  1) I was able to see my dear friend Diana, 2) I was able to hear the redemption of the Lord shouted out in a public forum. 3) the Word of the Lord was shared openly in a non church setting and many people were influenced and took notice of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  Wow! " Father, change my plans any time you want.   I am trusting in you."  Amen.