Ever look back on your life and think you took a wrong turn? Maybe you don’t have to look too far back – you’re sitting in it right now. You’re going through what many well-meaning Christians call a season or a wilderness. Or to spiritualize it even more, it becomes a wilderness season.
You might feel as though God is far away, has forgotten you, or simply has so many better things to do and maybe for better people – He does have an entire universe to look after. When these feelings of insignificance creep in, it just seems to compound until you feel crushed under the weight.
Sorry. I know that’s a heavy way to start this week’s post, but life can be pretty heavy at times, can’t it? These wilderness seasons can become so oppressive that we may even start to question our identity as a child of God. Hard times come to all of us, but the difference is what we do while we’re in them – how we compose ourselves, who we listen to, how we respond, and a half dozen other factors.
One of my favorite stories in the Bible (I know, I know… they’re all a favorite depending on the day) is the woman who had an issue of blood (Matthew 9:19-22, Mark 5:25-34, Luke 8:43-48). For twelve years… TWELVE YEARS… In our day, we might take it as an inconvenient medical condition – just something we grin and bear. But back then, it was ostracizing.
This poor woman wasn’t just inconvenienced – she wasn’t allowed to go to church, she wasn’t allowed to have physical contact with anyone, and she was looked down upon as unclean. I can’t help but wonder what this might have done for her relationships, her financial stability, and even her faith in God. We’re not told much in scripture, but I’m going to speculate a bit here: she was probably not married, had no kiddos, she probably wasn’t living with her parents (probably not welcome to be around them either), and she was probably hardened towards people and untrusting. That’s my very speculative overview of this poor woman.
This isn’t just a season for her anymore. She had invested all she had in doctors and had come out worse. She probably didn’t feel loved, probably felt extremely far away from God (He was probably busy with people who were actually good enough to go to church), and now she was broke. She was alone, had no future to look forward to, no lasting legacy, her identity was that of unclean, and she was spiritually depleted. If ever there was a wilderness season, this woman knew it all too well. Again, my own speculation.
But she had heard about Jesus (Mark 5:27)…
Many people read this woman’s brief story and think that the next verse is the turning point – when she thinks to herself that if she just touches His robe then she’ll be healed (Mark 5:28). But her faith was sparked when she heard about Jesus.
So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. Romans 10:17 NLT
I don’t often crack open my copy of The Passion translation of the New Testament, but on occasion, it hits just right:
Faith, then, is birthed in a heart that responds to God’s anointed utterance of the Anointed One. Romans 10:17 TPT
She had heard about Jesus… there she was, on the outskirts of society, keeping her distance so she didn’t make someone unclean, and there was an anointed utterance about Jesus. Maybe she heard about Jesus healing someone who had leprosy… another person considered unclean (Mark 1:40-45). Maybe she heard whispers of a man who had been paralyzed being able to walk again (Mark 2:1-12). Perhaps she watched from the shore as a storm was calmed (Mark 4:35-41).
She heard about Jesus, she came up with a plan – reach out and just touch the edge of His clothing, and then she acted on it. She received her physical healing through faith that was birthed in a heart that responded to God’s anointed utterance of Jesus. But Jesus, ever the over-achiever, decided that her physical healing wasn’t enough.
She could have reached out, touched the hem of Jesus’ clothing, received her healing, and Jesus could have just kept on walking. A nice little secret kept between the two of them. He was on His way, after all, to heal the daughter of one of the local synagogue’s leaders. That’s pretty important stuff – Jesus was obviously a busy man. It’s true that most churchgoers want to impress the pastor more than the person who is considered a dredge of society. But we see in this story that Jesus is showing that He’s different.
He not only stops the mission He’s on, but He restores her identity in front of the entire crowd that she had just shoved her way through. First, she’s healed and then she received the restoration of her identity – she was restored to daughter – through faith that was birthed in a heart that responded to God’s anointed utterance of Jesus.
Ever notice that this woman who had been considered unclean for 12 years is restored to daughter as Jesus is on His way to heal a 12-year-old daughter whose father is seeking Jesus out for her healing? The woman who had the issue of blood for 12 years was unrepresented, unclaimed, and no one wanted to see her coming. The 12-year-old girl was in the home of a loving father, had a good reputation, and had a promising future (if she could stay alive).
Pedigree didn’t matter. Societal and religious prejudices didn’t matter. Both needed Him. Both depended on Him. Both were stuck in a wilderness, and He was their only way out.
Are you in a wilderness? Who are you hearing about? Who or what are you turning your ear to hear about?
Or perhaps you’re not the one in the wilderness, but you know others who are… are you offering an anointed utterance of the Anointed One? You may be the person who helps someone encounter Jesus, receive their healing, and are restored to the identity that Jesus died to provide us with.
I hope that this woman’s story encourages you today. I hope it reminds you that you’re loved, you matter, and God is never too busy on a different mission to take care of every area that you need restored.