I just want to encourage everyone who has lost loved ones, those struggling with health issues, and anyone going through a difficult season remember, there is power in the healing balm of Jesus.
The story of the woman with the issue of blood is a powerful testament to her determination and persistence. It also reminds us how easily the “crowd” the noise, distractions, and doubts around us can blind our spiritual eyesight and keep us from focusing on the ultimate prize: our Sacrificial Lamb. This woman had lived with a medical condition for twelve long years. She had spent all she had visiting doctors and trying different remedies, hoping to be healed. Yet, the Bible declares that instead of getting better, she grew worse.
All her money was gone, and still her condition remained. Many of us today are just like this woman, still carrying our own “issues of blood.” We drag around the weight of problems that have lasted ten, twenty, thirty or forty years. We’ve allowed our struggles to consume us instead of taking them to Heaven’s Problem Solver. Too often, the spirit of unbelief takes centre stage and chokes our faith in the One who is our Rock of Ages. We’ve let the spirit of doubt seep in through the cracks and crevices of our hearts, failing to guard the avenues of our souls.
Hebrews chapter 11 speaks of faith personified, the heroes of faith who trusted God against all odds. Yet the woman with the issue of blood is not named among them. Still, her faith shines brightly through the account in Mark 5:25–34.
For twelve years she suffered privately, bound by her pain. But what she didn’t realize but hope for was that her season of bondage was about to end. Someone must have told her about Jesus, the same Man who met the woman at the well in John 4: 4 -42, the one who exclaimed, “Come, see a Man!” She had heard about Him, but she didn’t just want to hear, she wanted to see Him with her own eyes.
Mark 5:27 says, “When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched His garment.” Despite the crowd, her faith was activated. Her weakness turned to strength, and her boldness rose within her. She pressed through, declaring within herself, “If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole.” (Mark 5:28)
There is something powerful about pressing through.
Isaiah 43:18–19 (NIV) reminds us: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
From this passage, three key truths stand out:
Forget the past!
Embrace the new!
Trust that God will provide a way!
No matter how long you’ve carried your issue, don’t stop pressing. Don’t stop believing. The same Jesus who healed the woman with the issue of blood is still healing today. Keep your eyes on Him, He is your Healer, your Deliverer, your Rock of Ages.
JFC