“So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, if I just touch his clothes, I will be healed. Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.” Mark 5:24-29
Why is this woman a role model of having faith? She was still able to act in faith despite suffering the same ailment for twelve years and seeing no improvement from spending all her money on treatments. She was physically weak and there was a huge crowd surrounding Jesus, yet she still had the strength to push her way through to touch the hem of Jesus’ garments.
Considering her predicament, it would make sense to give up and not see any reason to hope that things would change for the better.Some of us have not been in a difficult situation nearly as long, yet we have lost hope and stopped believing God for a turnaround.
Jesus made reference that it was her faith that healed her (Mark 5:34). This suggests that her issue of blood was not the core issue; rather, it was whether or not she would still believe and put her faith to work. The moment she acted in faith, her life changed for good.
What situation has been lingering in your life? It may have been for less or more than twelve years now. Maybe you’ve done all you can think of, but haven’t seen any change. There is still one more thing you can do: put your faith to work like this woman did.
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).
Heavenly Father, help me put to work the measure of faith You have given me. I want to experience your best for my life. Amen.
Take Action
The Bible says in Romans 10:17 that “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Take some time everyday to study and meditate on the word of God so that faith can be activated inside your heart.
Further reading: When Prayer Seems to Fail