Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

The Holy Spirit showed me the difference between futile and faith efforts to get relief from longsuffering.

Today’s scripture, Mark 5:25-29 (NLT) shares…
[25] A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. [26] She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. [27] She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. [28] For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” [29] Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.

Consider…
What do you do when you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired?

Where do you turn when you’ve exhausted all of your resources and found no relief?

How do you hang on when all hope is gone?

These are legitimate questions that many of us face in our lives. Today’s scripture is a familiar Bible story of a woman who exemplifies our futile efforts to end our longsuffering.

Of course we know the happy-ending to the story is she touched the hem of Jesus garment and was healed, but let’s not overlook the most important lesson in her story, faith!

The Holy Spirit showed me that every doctor this woman went to, every penny spent, where all exercises of her faith that she would be healed. Her lack of success before Jesus wasn’t an indictment on her faith, rather it was a limitation of the resources she trusted.

The same is true for us when we trust in anyone or anything other than God.

The Holy Spirit showed me the key to this woman’s healing is before she gave up she shifted her faith to God. Thus the key verses from today’s text say…
[27] She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. [28] For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”

The Holy Spirit emphasized…

• She heard about Jesus
• She came to Him
• She tapped into His power (touched His robe)

…because she never lost faith that she would be healed.

The Holy Spirit took this opportunity to remind me, Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) explains…
[1] Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

This woman of faith was confident that she would be healed, she just shifted her assurance to Jehovah Rapha.

As I wrote that, the Holy Spirit showed me a present day example of this woman’s faith. Whenever you put a plug into an outlet, you are demonstrating faith that you have tapped into the power that can make what doesn’t work, work.

In Mark 5:34 (NLT), we read the result of this woman plugging into the Source of all power…
[34] And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”

The Holy Spirit just connected a dot for me. Power is always flowing from Jesus, we just have to plug into it with our faith for it to work in our lives.

The Lord didn’t want me to stop with us plugging into Him in the midst of our longsuffering, He wanted me to also show how He comes to us too.

John 5:2-9 (KJV) shares…
[2] Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. [3] In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. [4] For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. [5] And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. [6] When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? [7] The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. [8] Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. [9] And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.

Here we have another example of a person who didn’t lose faith, or give up on being healed. Thirty-eight years of going to the place where others have been healed is akin to going to doctors and hospitals in search for a cure of what ails you. The fact is, when we hear or see others testimonies of healing, we become more determined to keep the faith for ours. However, the cavaet is we rely on others to do what only God can do. Here’s the insight that the Holy Spirit gave me, we sometimes miss God, because we waiting on others.

Look again at our brother’s dialogue with Jesus…
[6] When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? [7] The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.

How often do we miss Jesus, because we’re relying on others to meet our needs.

The Holy Spirit just showed me, victims depend on others, victors depend on Jesus.

So when Jesus comes to see about you, are you a victim or victor?

Just before I was about to go further into the victim or victor tangent, the Holy Spirit showed me, it doesn’t matter. Notice, Jesus’ response to the man’s victim answer…
[8] Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. [9] And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked…

You see, what we overlook in this story is the fact that Jesus asked a rhetorical question, when He asked if the man wanted to be healed. Think about it, thirty-eight years of coming to the pool; going to the doctor; changing our diets; exercising; demonstrated the hope and desire for healing.

This where the good news comes in, God already knows and cares about you.

That makes me think of Luke 12:22-31 (NLT)…
[22] Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. [23] For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. [24] Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! [25] Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? [26] And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things? [27] “Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. [28] And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? [29] “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. [30] These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. [31] Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.

The Lord is telling us, don’t worry about a thing, He cares. Instead, become like the woman in today’s text and seek Him. But even if we don’t seek Him, He sees us and will see about us, because He cares.

Longsuffering doesn’t indicate futile faith, it just may reveal misplaced faith in resources rather than the Source! So don’t abandon your faith, replace the Source of your assurance.

So when you become sick and tired of being sick and tired, or preferably before, just remember to look to, and plug into, Jesus for healing.

Today’s song is…
Healing

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)