desperate faith

I was reading in Mark earlier today and I was totally struck by this whole idea of desperate faith when I read the story of the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years in Mark 5:25-34.

Here was this woman who had been declared unclean by her culture for the last twelve years. She was unable to touch anything or anyone without making it unclean! She had spent all her money on doctors and nothing had gotten better . . . it had gotten worse!!! I mean, can you imagine being in her place?!?!? No one wanted anything to do with her, she wasn't allowed into the Temple to worship God because she was unclean. Her entire world had pushed her aside!

Yet, she hears about Jesus and His power to heal people. She decides that the chance to be healed is wirth whatever it will take to touch Jesus . . . just to touch the clothes He wore. She knows that she will be healed if she does this. And so, she takes the chance!

She goes in amongst the crowd of people around Jesus. And slowly, carefully, makes her way towards Jesus. I imagine out of habit she was being careful not to touch anyone as she walked though the crowd . . . although, even taking the chance of walking through the crowd would not have been appreciated by anyone in the crowd.

But, she was willing to take the chance of touching someone else . . . of someone else's disdain as they saw her and tried to avoid her for the sake of being healed! She had come to such a point of desperation that she was willing to risk everything to get to Jesus! Nothing mattered to her anymore except getting to Jesus and being healed. She had faith that Jesus could heal her and so she took the risk. She was desperate to be healed and so she took the risk!

All this got me thinking about my own life.

What am I desperate enough for that I will risk everything to get it?

What am I dealing with that needs Jesus' healing touch that I am desperate enough to be healed of that I will risk everything to get to Jesus and have Him heal it?

Am I willing to risk my reputation, my pride, the respect of others to get to Jesus to be healed?

Am I desperate enough yet?

As I thought, I very quickly thought of an area in my life where I need Jesus' healing, but I'm not yet sure if I'm desperate enough to risk everything to get that healing. I want to be . . . I think. But, yet, sometimes I feel like I might be OK with that area of my life the way it is. And, yet, I know that I don't want it to remain that way.

Am I willing to ask God to make me desperate enough that I will risk everything to receive healing in that area of my life?

That's a risky prayer to pray!

Do I really want to ask God to do that?

He might not do it the way I would like.

But, I've been inspried by the story of this woman - these few veres in the entire Bible - and her desperate faith that Jesus could heal her. I want that kind of desperate faith. I want to be willing to risk it all to receive Jesus's healing touch!

And, the best part is, when we take that chance and act on that desperate faith . . . Jesus does bring healing!