Women's Devotional: For Women, by WomenSample

Press Toward Jesus

Kelly looked at herself in the mirror and sighed—a sigh of total, utter exhaustion. She felt much older than her 36 years. It felt as though she had been struggling with insomnia, muscle pain and fatigue forever. One doctor diagnosed her with Epstein Barr. Another with depression. Another simply said she didn’t have a diagnosis. One seemed to hint that she was making up her symptoms.

Kelly knew God was in control, but it was hard to trust on days like this when all she wanted to do was crawl under the covers and sob. “God, where are you?” she cried. “How much longer do I have to go through this?” Kelly was desperate, so she leaned on Jesus. No, he didn’t miraculously heal her. But he graciously helped her each and every day as she leaned on him for strength.

The woman who touched Jesus’ cloak must have felt the same sort of desperation. The Bible says she had been bleeding for 12 years. Not only was she suffering physically, she was also probably suffering emotionally. In Jewish society, such a woman would have been labeled “unclean.” Because of this status, she would have been considered an outcast. The loneliness and isolation must have felt overwhelming. No wonder she pressed through the multitude of people who were following the Messiah. She must have believed that touching him was her only hope.

Imagine her breathless expectation as she reached toward Jesus…and her overwhelming relief when she realized that he had, indeed, relieved her suffering. What joy must have flooded her the very instant she touched the hem of his cloak!

Are you feeling desperate like these two women? Do you cry for relief from a lingering illness? If so, take comfort in the fact that Jesus is near and that he is the Great Physician. Sometimes, he heals in an instant, as he did in this story. At other times, he heals over a period of years or he waits to heal, allowing us to press into him so that he can “strengthen [us] with power through his Spirit in [our] inner being” (Ephesians 3:16). At still other times, he does not heal. Then, like Paul, we learn that “[God’s] power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The ways in which God ministers to people are as varied as the people he touches—but he is always faithful to bring peace and joy, even in midst of our suffering. Today, press close to him. You’ll experience his power.

Reflection

• Describe an area of your life in which you feel truly desperate.
• How have you felt isolated from others because of your circumstances?
• Press into Jesus in prayer. Ask him to restore you to fellowship with him and fellowship with believers. Ask him to heal you physically, emotionally and spiritually. If he chooses not to heal you this day, ask him to strengthen you with his power instead.