A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe.
— Mark 5:25-27 NLT
Key Thought
Jairus (whom we met in the preceding verses) was a man, and a woman was involved in the events in today's verses. Jairus was a religious leader, and the woman couldn't practice her faith openly because her problem made her ritually unclean. He was powerful, but she was lowly and destitute because of her illness. While on the opposite end of the spectrum from Jairus in many respects, the woman was in the same position in some crucial respects — she needed the Lord, and the Lord loved her. Both of these very different people demonstrated their faith in the Lord and took risks to get his help. They weren't disappointed by the result. So what makes it so hard for us to demonstrate our need for the Lord and to take risks to draw closer to him? Let's use the examples of this woman and Jairus as our invitation to leave stale and fearful faith behind and reach after the Lord Jesus!
Today's Prayer
O God, the Almighty, give me courage, strength, and boldness to live my faith, dependence, and need for Jesus openly before others. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Related Scripture Readings
- Matthew 11:28
- Ephesians 2:17-22
- Colossians 1:27
Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Saturday, March 30, 2024
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About This Devotional
What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.
What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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