Mark 5:27-28 NIV
“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.'”
In the Scriptures, those who acted in faith characteristically did something different. Whether that involved a physical relocation in obedience to God’s command or a shift in belief to start trusting God afresh and in line with His word, men and women had to do something different from the norm. Regardless of how short or long faith-driven (physical or belief) actions take, they always result in great testimonies because God is “…reliable and trustworthy and faithful [to His word]” (Heb 10:23 AMP). Hallelujah! Besides, our acts of faith do please Him, and the LORD rewards those who look to Him with “…a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” (Heb 10:22 NIV).
Hebrews chapter 11 provides a list of persons whose walk of faith had one thing in common: they did what was appropriately in line with God’s word—despite the disagreeing circumstances surrounding them at the time. To them, God’s word held the highest priority (as it always should), and they trusted Him to do just what He said, which He faithfully did. The same applies to persons in other sections of the Scriptures. For instance, what the lady with the issue of blood did by her faith in Christ is amazing: “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'”, she said (in our text of reference).
The cultural, religious, and societal barriers notwithstanding, the lady dared to go out! Notice, her exceptional faith and courage were driven by the fact that “she heard about Jesus”. “If I just touch HIS clothes, I will be healed”, she said. In other words, her faith was not in her own self, but in the power of the Lord Jesus. Thankfully, Jesus is the Word of God (Joh 1); thus, while we may not have Him to touch physically, we can ‘touch’ and hold tightly onto God’s written word in the Bible. Such was the cause for the Psalmist’s reverence for God and His word. He said, “I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word” (Psa 138:2 NIV). Hallelujah!
Pst. Emmanuel