“The good news of suffering is that it brings us to the end of ourselves – a purpose it has certainly served in my life. It brings us to the place of honesty, which is the place of desperation, which is the place of faith, which is the place of freedom.”
Tullian Tchividjian
In Mark, chapter five, there’s a story about a desperate woman who had suffered with bleeding for twelve years. The woman spent all that she had on doctors, yet became worse. She not only suffered physically, but emotionally as well. People shunned her because she was ceremonially unclean, causing her to live in isolation. I can’t imagine how discouraged she must have been, but she didn’t give up hope. She thought if she could touch Jesus’ garment, she would be healed.
Desperation sometimes means we go out on a limb and take a risk. This woman did exactly that. She risked her reputation and set herself up to be rebuked and shamed by those around her. Her desperation trumped her fear of man and what others thought. The woman broke the religious rules and went out in public; she pressed through the crowd to touch the cloak of Jesus. The woman’s faith, her expectancy for Jesus to heal, and her desperate actions paid off. Immediately her bleeding stopped.
Jesus asked who had touched His clothes, because He knew power had gone out from Him. After the woman confessed it was her, Jesus affirmed her healing. “Then Jesus said to her, ‘Daughter, because you dared to believe, your faith has healed you. Go with peace in your heart, and be free from your suffering’” (Mark 5:34, Passion Translation).
It’s hard to be in a desperate situation, but it’s for our benefit when we realize Jesus is our only option left. Desperation is the seed of faith. When we’re desperate, our faith overrides fear and gives us courage to believe.
When you’ve reached the end of your rope and can’t see a solution in sight, look up and lean upon Jesus. Just one touch changes everything. Dare to believe and reach out and touch the hem of Jesus’ garment.
“We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
Relevant Reflection:
In what area of your life do you need to dare to believe, and see God come through for you?