Saved in an Instant

Matthew 9:21-22 (MSG)
  She was thinking to herself, "If I can just put a finger on his robe, I'll get well." Jesus turned—caught her at it. Then he reassured her: "Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you're well."
  The woman was well from then on. 

Even those things that have been a problem for years; all our lives even, God can change in an instant. Physical illnesses which stump the professionals, God can cure. Just as quickly, the sins that plague a person from sunrise to sunset are cast out overnight by a mighty God. Sound like fantasy? Unbelievable? Yet true.

The woman referenced in the scriptures above didn't worry about the proper way to approach Jesus, she just waited for the opportune moment and went for it. She heard about this Man who healed the sick and she wanted to experience wholeness once again. So she came close, reached out, and touched His robe. That's all it took.

Jesus knew in that moment she was there. He recognized the touch of a faithful child and responded by healing her on the spot. God will do the same for you and for me. He wants us to reach out, to touch the hem of his robe with faithful fingers. He will do the rest.

Bogged down by sin?  Trapped in a world of pain and sadness? Don't know where to turn next? Remember the woman who was thinking to herself, "If I can just put a finger on his robe, I'll get well."

This sounds way too simple, far too easy; but it isn't. Jesus has been waiting all our lifetime for us to reach out to Him, to ask Him into our heart. God can change what seems unchangeable, just reach out. He will give you a new purpose and a new life.



Matthew 9:18-26

One Healed Leper Gives Thanks - Luke 17:11-19

Picture this, ten people infected with the most dreaded disease of the day - leprosy - approach Jesus.  He was not a stranger to them, they had to have heard much about Him and the miracles performed by Him.  They must have known He could help them, perhaps cure them totally.

Here is the scene:  "Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a] met him. They stood at a distance  and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”(Luke 17:11-13)

Jesus did have pity on them and He healed them; all ten of them.  But, only one of the 10 returned to say "thank you."  Only one recognized what Jesus had done for them; only one of them took the next step of faith.  Jesus responded to the one man with,  “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 1Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”


How many times have I desperately prayed for Jesus to intercede--to heal a loved one, repair a relationship, or make a financial emergency go away?  I have to ask myself how many times did I respond with thankfulness to Jesus when he got me out of a fix?  Thank you Lord, Jesus for always being faithful to me even when I did not have the courtesy to say 'Thank you'.

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Jesus raises Jairus' daughter - Mark 5:21-43

The heading for the Scripture reading for today, A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman, had my attention. I read, "My little daughter is dying, Please come..." (Mark 5:23) As a parent and a grandparent these words instill a sense of urgency in my heart. I want to add, "Yes, Jesus, hurry!" My humanness is telling me Jesus has to be with the little girl in order to take care of her. My human reasoning forgets that Jesus is also God and not encumbered with human limitation.

There is another fascinating scene playing out here--Jesus is multi-tasking. On His way to minister to Jairus' daughter, He encounters a woman who suffered for many years. Doctors were baffled and unable to help her. Jesus sensed her presence when she touched his robe. He felt His power leaving...wow, can you imagine what power that must have been!

I think of times I have prayed with someone, or listened to someone in trouble, and how afterwards I felt physically drained because of the emotional toll. Perhaps, but to a much greater extent, this is what Jesus was experiencing. Doesn't that give you chills? He was curing this unseen woman and still in control of the dying child.

“Your daughter is dead,” (Mark 5:35) “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” (Mark 5:36) “The child is not dead but asleep.” (Mark 5:39) “But they laughed at Him.” (Mark 5:40) I’m not laughing, are you?

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