A Reason to Reach
Reflection
How might hearing what Jesus says change the next step you take?
Key Scripture
Mark 5:27–28 (NKJV)
When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”
Devotional
Twelve years is a long time to live with a problem. The woman in Mark 5 had suffered, spent everything she had, and grown worse. Her experience had given her plenty of reasons to expect another disappointment. Then she heard about Jesus. Before she reached through the crowd to touch His garment, something different had reached her ears.
What she heard gave her a reason to believe. She said that if she could touch His clothes, she'd be made well. Her faith moved her toward Him, and she was healed. Jesus told her, Daughter, your faith has made you well. The story draws our attention to the connection between hearing, believing, and responding. She acted on what she'd come to believe about Jesus.
That pattern appears throughout His ministry. Luke describes crowds coming to hear Him and to be healed. Matthew tells us that Jesus taught, preached, and healed. His words gave people something to receive with faith. They came with real needs, and as they listened, expectancy could rise in hearts that had been discouraged. Hearing Him opened the way for a response that their circumstances alone couldn't have inspired.
Maybe disappointment has made it difficult for you to expect anything different. Bring your attention back to Jesus and what He's saying. Let His Word give you a reason to pray with expectation and respond in faith. Your next step may be asking for prayer or putting a Scripture into practice. Begin by hearing Him. Let what you hear shape what you believe and how you move forward today.
Application
Read Mark 5:25–34. Identify one practical response of faith you can make today, such as asking someone to pray with you about the need you've been carrying.
Prayer
Jesus, thank You for meeting people with compassion and power. As I hear Your Word, renew my expectancy and help me respond in faith. I'm bringing my need to You. Amen.
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