August 22, 2024
“she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment
- Mark 5:27b (NKJV)
When we hear the Word of God concerning a situation we face or a condition we are in, faith is birthed. We grow that faith by thinking about the Word, internalizing it, verbalizing it and repeating it until we become fully persuaded in faith. From this point, the next thing to do is to take action.
This was what the woman with the flow of blood for twelve years did in Mark 5:25-34. After she heard about Jesus (Mark 5:27a), she thought about her miracle, said it to herself and repeated it until she became fully persuaded in her faith about her miracle (Mark 5:28 NLT, NLV, NASB). The moment she hit this threshold, she took action. She got in behind Jesus, through the crowd, touched His garment and received her miracle.
She did not even ask Jesus’ permission. The crowd thronging Jesus did not stop her. The opinion of Jesus’ disciples did not matter to her (Mark 5:31). Such was her conviction that it propelled her into taking action. An action that drew the attention (v30), verification (v32-33) and validation of Jesus. Mark 5:34 “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”
She then took action, touched His garment, and received her miracle.
This is instructive. Taking action is one thing. Staying actioned in what follows is another. Imagine for a moment she allowed herself to be discouraged by the crowd around Jesus. Instead, she persevered, like the paralyzed man whose friends could not get through the crowd but lowered him through the roof in Luke 5:17-24, she remained undaunted at the obstacles that lay before her.
This is how it should be with us Christians. To provoke the works of God, faith is birthed when we hear the Word or the testimonies of others. We grow faith when we meditate on the Word, personalize it and repeat it to ourselves. However, if we do not get to the point where we are fully persuaded, and persuaded enough to take action, then we may miss out on the miraculous. The GNT version of James 2:17 reads “So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead”.
When we take action, obstacles may arise that seek to undermine our faith and thwart our effort. This is part of the process. Our responsibility when these come up is to remain steadfast and focused on the Word. Like Paul, we press on toward the goal (Philippians 3:14) and assuredly, as James 1:12 NLV and Proverbs 23:18 ASV promise, we will receive our miracle!
Song of Worship
See what the Lord has done (x2)
What we waited for, has come to pass
See what the Lord has done..
Song See what the Lord has done by Nathaniel Bassey
Prayer - Dear Lord, thank You for the process of birthing faith through hearing your Word, growing faith through meditating and repeating Your Word, being fully persuaded in faith by Your Word, taking action in faith and remaining steadfast in the face of challenges. May this process work in my life from this day forth in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Bible in 1 year: Psalms 113-115; 1 Corinthians 6
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