Read: Mark 5:21–43
She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” Mark 5:27
Jesus didn’t heal everyone. In fact, we must assume that most of the people struggling with physical, emotional, or spiritual ill-health were not healed by Jesus. There were plenty of people who never made their way to Jesus. Jesus never healed folks indiscriminately. Jesus responded to requests. If a person didn’t request healing, they didn’t receive it. In this story, a little girl and an elderly woman are made whole because healing was pursued. Wellness was sought, and Jesus responded to both pleas.
It is as true in the Gospels as it is in our lives—we must participate in our own wellness. If we can’t request healing—or if we are unaware of the maladies of our lives—we will not experience restored health. We must step forward, we must seek healing, we must strive to be whole if we want to become well. Jesus can heal us, but we must make our way to Him first.
Do you need to be made well?
Lord, sometimes it is difficult to step forward and request healing. I am not always sure of the healing I need. My lack of self-awareness and my reticence to step out of the crowd in pursuit of You prohibits me from living in healthy and whole ways. Lord, grant me the courage and the resolve to reach out for the hem of Your garment, and as I reach toward You, please bring healing to me. In Your name, I pray. AMEN.