Pray Every Dayনমুনা

She thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

—Matthew 9:21-22

The woman who touches the fringe of Jesus’s cloak suffered for 12 years with a debilitating, constant bleeding (Matthew 9:20). Imagine losing blood every single day for 12 years. Imagine the anemia, the weakness—not to mention that because she bled, she had to live on the outskirts of fellowship. “Unclean” was her constant moniker.

Desperation, coupled with the stories she must have heard about Jesus’s ability to miraculously heal, propels the woman with the issue of blood. Faith in Jesus causes her pursuit.

She interrupts Jesus on his way to resurrect a 12-year-old girl (Mark 5:42; Luke 8:42). The irony is thick. This girl lived life under the joyful gaze of her parents for 12 years, only to have her life snuffed out. The woman lived life bereft of fellowship for 12 years, spending her time and money pursuing a cure that never materialized (Mark 5:26). Twelve years of life for both, and both would be radically interrupted in the best possible way by the Author of life and healing.

Although Jesus has been stalled on the way to heal a young girl, he calls this sweet, suffering woman a daughter. Such an affectionate, beautiful moniker, isn’t it? In calling her that, he welcomes her back into the fold of the living, beckoning toward community. Her exile caused by illness is wonderfully concluded. She is a daughter of the King, and as such, she can eat at the King’s table without having to crawl along the cobbled streets to touch the fringe of his garment.

There are two important elements to note about prayer here. One is faith. You must truly believe that Jesus is able to heal, intercede, and help. The other is pursuit. There is no such thing as passive healing. Christianity is active. It involves the sacrifice of pursuit. In pursuit, you are recognizing your own limitations. You cannot help yourself, so you pursue the only One who can.

Pursue God today with belief as your fuel.

Jesus, I choose to believe in your power, your ability to transform a life. Would you see me here on earth? Would you intercede when I cannot? Would you heal me? I want to be a disciple who pursues you first, who sees you as the source of my life. Amen.

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If you enjoyed reading this plan, author Mary DeMuth has many more prayers to share with you. Read more in Pray Every Day