Read: Luke 8:43-48 |
He touched me!
In the beginning when God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, He touched you and me.
In Genesis 1, we find that God created everything else by speaking it into existence. Yet with humankind, God chose to personally touch and form us. With His hands, He formed Adam in His own image. From Adam, He took a rib and made woman. What an honor that God decided to use His personal touch to create us!
God still longs for us to stay within touching distance. Even when we encounter trials and challenges, our posture should be to walk close beside Him as we await His touch of power to meet our need. Resist the temptation to give up and stray away. Instead, seek a closer walk with Him while we await His answer.
Walking within touching distance
Believers are not called to be benchwarmers. We are called to walk with Jesus where He leads us. Our challenge is that when trouble and adversity enter our lives, it is tempting to spiritually sit down on the bench. Some of life’s challenges can derail us and interrupt our walk. When we do not walk with Him, our witness suffers.
Scripture reminds us not to worry [Matthew 6:25-34]. We are to stand on the promises and keep following Jesus. When we do pause to worry, it is easy to become a spiritual benchwarmer. A benchwarmer is not in the game, they are on the sidelines. They may have faith that God will work it out, but not the energy to move and act on His promises.
The Bible story of the woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years in Luke 8:43-48 provides us with a biblical illustration. Though this unnamed woman had waited twelve years, this brief passage indicates she was a person who did not wallow in self-pity. I would imagine that each day she had been actively praying and seeking an answer to her dire dilemma.
By Jewish standards, she was ceremonially unclean. (Leviticus 12:1-8,15:19-30) Jewish customs barred the unclean from their worship services and social events.
Consequently, it was likely that this poor woman was mentally, physically and financially bankrupt. That was the bad news; the good news was that spiritually, she maintained a good balance of her faith. She was not a benchwarmer.
Her solution was to walk in the direction where Jesus would be going. Based upon her faith in Jesus, this suffering saint felt that, “If I can just touch the fringe of his robe, I will be healed”.
As we know from the story in Luke 8, she overcame the odds. She found the courage to go where she had no right to be; the strength to push her way through the crowd and the foresight to touch the fringe of His garment and the faith to believe it would heal her. She touched Him.
Jesus sensed the touch, because healing power flowed from Him. The touch ended her waiting and healed her. He told her to be encouraged and that her faith made her well.
As we walk in the direction that Jesus is leading, wait prayerfully for His answer. Avoid the benchwarmer mentality. Don’t sit on the sideline in self-pity. Reach out to Him in faith.
Take that step! Walk! Touch!
Walk in His footsteps and follow His will. Walk by faith and not by sight. Walk within touching distance lest we stray too far from His healing touch.
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.– “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” lyrics, Author Unknown
Questions:
1. Discover –
A. When pressed by your circumstances and/or depressed, are you typically able to keep walking with God?
B. Have you ever succumbed to being a “benchwarmer”? How did you recover?
2. Develop –
A. Why is it important to keep walking with God when waiting on His answer?
B. What are some ways that you could develop just a closer walk with the Lord?
3. Demonstrate –
A. How do others see you handle waiting on God to answer your prayers?
B. With your prayer partner, share a time that God touched your life or answered a prayer request in an unexpected way? Share your reply in the comment box below.
Profiles on Waiting Outline
Overview – Why and How to wait upon/for/with God (link)
Benefits – Why Wait?
1. Discover God’s Purpose (link)
2. Receive Spiritual Adrenaline (link)
3. Win Battles (link)
4. Hear Answers to our Prayer (link)
5. Fortify our Faith (link)
Postures we should adopt when waiting for/with/upon God
1. Wait on Time (link)
2. Watch for Him (link)
3. Wait by walking within Touching Distance (link)
4. Work while waiting upon God’s Answer (link)
5. Willful Waiting does not Wilt (link)
6. Weather the Storms while waiting under His Umbrella (link)
7. Wait with an Unwavering Faith (link)
