There WAS a Woman with an Issue

Mark 5:25 "And a certain woman which had an issue of blood twelve years"

I've always loved this scripture reference. I've heard so many sermons and teachings that magnify the resilience, tenacity, and desperation of this woman. This woman who'd been plagued by a seemingly incurable disease for 12 long years. The woman who'd depleted herself of any and every resource within her reach to eliminate this problem from her life. The way the scenario goes...Jesus had been on a healing spree. He was constantly being followed and surrounded by greedy crowds, seeking only to take what He had to offer. Jesus had made quite the reputation for himself at this point, and the people from the surrounding areas were star struck by the son of a carpenter who was walking the streets performing signs and wonders right before their eyes. He had entered into Galilee after having healed the demon possessed man from across the lake, and was immediately pressed upon by a crowd, confronted by a desperate father, and apparently accosted by a desperate woman?! With so much going on around Him, I love the part of the story where Jesus stops in his tracks, having felt power leave from His body. Absolutely crazy?! With so much noise and touch happening around Him, I've always questioned what the trigger was in this story that caused Jesus to pause that day. His mind was preoccupied, surely, with the young lady He was on His way to see about. He wasn't just walking down the road, He was walking with purpose.

So, what was the trigger? What caught His attention? There is NO way this woman was the only one who pulled at Jesus that day. Everyone there had heard about the miracle healings Jesus had been performing, and they wanted to see for themselves. They were spectators, there to observe the good work Jesus was doing. They'd heard about Him, but there was still doubt, so they needed to 'see' Him do it. Compared to the numerous crowds, there are only a few recorded brave souls that actually approached Jesus and asked for His help. Everyone else just wanted to 'see' for themselves if He'd prove to be who everyone else said He was. So the question remains, what was it about this woman that caused Him to pause - that awakened the power within Him. She didn't approach Him face to face as Jairus had done concerning his dead daughter. No, she pressed in through the crowd from behind. She had a plan - to connect with Jesus on any level, by any means necessary. Because He was so surrounded by the crowds, the best she could do was simply touch the hem of His outer cloak. So, she did. And it was enough for her. From what she'd heard about His recent healings, she knew and believed that He would do the same for her, given the opportunity. All she needed to do was come into contact with Him, so she positioned herself in such a way as to make that happen.

You see, she was never there to see Jesus. She hadn't intended on being a spectator like the rest of the crowd that'd gathered around Him along with her. She was there for an encounter - to connect with Him, and receive from Him. This woman was in a desperate space, and had been for quite some time. Within her own power, she'd tried to fix her situation on hew own. She was, up that point, unsuccessful. But when she heard about Jesus, her predicament changed. She was ready to do something about her situation. Reading this passage of scripture the other day, after all of these years, the lightbulb finally lit up for me. It was when she put her faith into action that her condition turned around for her. It was active faith, not observant faith, that awakened the power in Jesus and compelled it to heal this woman. That was the trigger - ALL-in faith! Desperate faith. Active faith healed her, turned her situation completely around, and freed her. And you know what, her boldness to confess it was indeed her who'd touched the hem of His garment when He asked gave Him the opportunity to show her that she was seen and known by Him.

I titled this excerpt 'There was a woman with an issue...' I just LOVE the past tense acknowledgement at the start of Mark 5:25. She may have started with a long line of issues plaguing and trailing her, BUT after an encounter with Jesus it all changed. After deciding to put all she'd seen and heard into action, her story had an unpredictable ending. One that those in her life most likely never saw coming. Yet it was all based on the decision to put her faith into action. To stand out from the crowd of spectators, and reach out to Jesus with purpose and expectation. That decision awakened and compelled healing power to leave Jesus and change her life. I implore you, ladies, to use her story as an example. Let each of us have a line in our story where there is a very clear change in the tense used to describe our situation. This woman had an issue of blood. I don't know what your situation is, BUT God does. Remember: the 'what' of your situation quickly becomes irrelevant when Jesus steps onto the scene. Let's 'do' faith like she did. Don't be a spectator, watching God do mighty works in everyone else's life. He wants to do the same for you, too! #faithingittogether #huddleup #godgirllife