Jesus Will

“And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse” (Mark 5:25-26, ESV).

Consider this woman’s desperate situation. Over time, her condition had gone from bad to worse; yet when she heard that Jesus was passing by, she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well” (Mark 5:28).

Hidden in her heart was a mustard seed of faith, the kind that grows into a large, fruitful plant. Her faith was so strong that she didn’t need Jesus to come to her. All she needed was to reach out and touch him. Note her last phrase: “I will be made well.” She did not just think, “Jesus can do this, if he wills.” She was convinced, “This will happen because he is God.” It was a rock-solid, concrete faith that believed in God for a miracle based on his goodness.

Imagine what this woman’s condition had done to her life. Over twelve years, she had gone from weak to feeble. Maybe that describes your life. Problems have multiplied, bills have piled up, and your worries are increasing. You have seen other people’s prayers answered, but yours seem to fall on deaf ears. Now your heart’s cry is “How long, Lord?”

I love this woman’s faith. Nothing had worked for her, yet she reached out to Jesus with believing faith, saying to herself, “I will either die of this, or my healing will come today.” Her faith was not simply that Jesus could but that Jesus would.

As she touched Jesus’s garment, “Immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” (Mark 5:29-30).

Notice that Jesus did not initiate this healing; the woman’s faith did. Jesus said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease” (Mark 5:34). Her faith was based on God’s goodness, and she declared, “Lord, even if you have forgotten my need, I have not forgotten your faithfulness.” Her story is meant to remind us that we can have the same kind of faith that says, “Lord, you will!