How good is God? I know sometimes in the midst of a battle when the water is above your head, and you feel like nothing else can go wrong, faith can be pretty slim to come by. Having the faith that all things will work smoothly in his timing and all will be well, sometimes does not happen so easily. Have you ever had the feeling of screaming at the sky? At the heavens? At God? Falling to your knees letting it all out? Have you ever felt that desperate, in need of a deep breath?

There was a woman in particular in the Bible who I am thinking of. The woman with the issue of blood (found in Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, and Luke 8:43-48) spent 12 LONG years praying and pleading, drowning in her condition. She probably wanted to give up more times than not. Her name is not mentioned in scripture, but I see her. Her story is one of faith, hope, compassion, and healing.

These verses tell us that she had spent all she had on doctors, she could not be healed by human hand. They tell us she had been suffering 12 years, and instead of getting better, her condition was worsening. We know by Jewish law she was deemed unclean, anything or anyone she touched would then be unclean themselves. This meant she would not have been permitted to enter the temple or take part of any religious ceremony. Levitical law said she could not handle food, money, or be in the proximity of others much less a crowd.

It all starts when Jesus was teaching and was approached by a man in distress because this man’s 12-year-old daughter was dying. He was desperate, he needed fast acting help and begged for a house visit to heal his daughter. The crowd he was teaching, went with him getting thicker with more people as they moved locations.

This woman heard of Jesus’ coming and said what if…. What if I could just touch his hem. Jesus was her last hope. She has spent everything; she wasn’t openly welcomed anywhere. She had been longsuffering. In desperation she was willing to risk her life to access her healing quietly. Truth is, there wasn’t anything else left to lose, but her life. When we find ourselves in desperate times, maybe our comfort is not where our breakthrough is. Breakthrough lies where comfort ends, and faith begins.

Jesus turned to his disciples and asked, “Who touched me?” He was surrounded on all sides being touched all about, how could he ask this? It was not the act of placing a hand upon him though, she touched the hem of his garment. Jesus felt power go from him. He felt this women’s unwavering faith. He felt her hope cling to his name. All because she said What if. Many people placed their hand upon Jesus in that crowd but only that woman, his daughter, truly touched him. She accessed him in a way few people do.

Matthew 17:20 says

²⁰ He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

All it takes is a mustard seed of faith to move mountains. A mustard seed and nothing will be impossible. God told her it was her faith that had healed her, not his clothes (a superstition some people believed). He called her daughter. In that one word, he called her whole and complete. For so long she was defined by her condition, ostracized, invisible and alone. Her self-worth was based on her brokenness and imperfection. This woman had been restored. She has a newfound identity in Christ. She was claimed and had a place of belonging after so long. She had a name: daughter.

In this, Jesus lets us in on a little secret; to access heaven, you don’t have to be perfect in faith. However, you do have to have that persistent faith that knows God will do what He says. You can have that too. The invitation is extended to all who will accept. Noone is too broken to be made whole in the kingdom of God.

Prayer for Today

Lord Jesus, I pray you give me courage to step out in faith. Give me the strength and wisdom to face whatever comes my way. Help me glorify you in all I do and fill me with your peace. I know through you I am restored and made whole. Thank you for helping me persevere and trust in your promises. I choose to focus on you and your blessings all of my days. Amen.

Put into Practice

The confidence to step out in faith begins when we put our faith in God. There’s nothing God can’t do. Let go and let God.