#MeditationMonday‬ – Out of the abundance of a man’s heart, his mouth speaks.

Beloved, I give thanks to God for the breath of life in you this wonderful day! May the mercies of the Lord accompany you through every trial you encounter this week. Today’s #MeditationMonday verse is: Mark 5: 21 – 43.

The Book of Mark, Chapter 5 verses 21-43 (EXB*) Selected Verses.

²² A leader of the synagogue, named Jairus, came there, saw Jesus, and ·fell [bowed; knelt] at his feet. ²³ He begged Jesus, ·saying again and again [earnestly saying], “My daughter is dying. Please come and ·put [lay] your hands on her so she will be healed and will live.” ²⁴ So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed Jesus and pushed very close around him. ²⁵ Among them was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years probably a chronic menstrual disorder].²⁶ She had suffered very much from many doctors and had spent all the money she had, but instead of improving, she was getting worse. ²⁷ When the woman heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his ·coat [cloak; garment]. ²⁸ [For] She ·thought [said], “If I can just touch his clothes, I will ·be healed [get well; be saved].”²⁹ Instantly her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed from her disease.

³⁰ At once Jesus ·felt [perceived] power go out from him. So he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

³³ The woman, knowing that she was healed, came and fell at Jesus’ feet. Shaking with fear, she told him the whole truth. ³⁴ Jesus said to her, “·Dear woman [Daughter], ·you are made well because you believed [your faith has saved/healed you]. Go in peace; be healed of your disease.”

³⁵ While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of the synagogue leader. They said, “Your daughter is dead. ·There is no need to bother the teacher anymore.” [Why trouble the teacher anymore?”]

³⁶ But Jesus ·paid no attention to [or overheard] what they said. He told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

³⁷ Jesus let only Peter, James, and John the brother of James go with him. ³⁸ When they came to the house of the synagogue leader, Jesus found many people there making lots of noise and ·crying loudly [weeping and wailing loudly]. ³⁹ Jesus entered the house and said to them, “Why are you ·crying [weeping] and making so much noise? The child is not dead, only asleep.” ⁴⁰ But they ·laughed at [ridiculed] him. So, after ·throwing [putting]them [all] out of the house, Jesus took the child’s father and mother and his three followers into the room where the child was. ⁴¹ Taking hold of the girl’s hand, he said to her, “Talitha, koum!” (This means [in Aramaic, the language Jesus commonly spoke], “Little girl, I tell you to stand up!”) ⁴² At once the girl stood right up and began walking. (She was twelve years old.) Everyone was completely amazed. 

Desperate people have usually exhausted all other options and spent everything. Often, our desperation can cause us to be afraid and panic, but if used well desperation can be a great tool of faith.

The woman with the issue of blood had it real bad. She was really desperate. Let’s paint a picture of her life.

She could not participate in religious life, could not be married and could not appear in public. These things may seem trivial now, but they were very important to the culture of the day! Religious life and marriage was everything for those who were of any social standing, so this woman had reason to be desperate for her healing. She would have done whatever it took to be healed.

Medicine was not even as advanced then as it is now, so just imagine the rudimentary treatments they would have put this woman through, at great cost to her health more so, all in the hopes that she would get better. They might have used leeches to bleed out her “bad blood”, given her potions, poultices, told her what to eat, what not to eat – or drink, given her concoctions to rub her body with etc. – to the extent, that she spent all she had.

To spend all you have?! That means she not only exhausted her money, she likely traded all her other assets, – livestock, jewelry, linen, shoes, everything – till she had nothing left to offer.

This woman was desperate, she had seriously run out of options.

How many of us feel that way sometimes? Lord, if you don’t intervene now, i’ll be had, because I have nothing left, nobody to turn to, Lord please I’m desperate. 

P.S – If You’ve never cried out to God before, contact me pls, I want your life. pls, pls. just for a day. Thank you yeah.

Let your desperation be a tool of faith, not of fear. Don’t let desperation cause you to give in to the lies of the enemy!

Here’s a few lessons we can learn from today’s passage.

Don’t be intimidated by the crowd. 

The crowd around was also following and seeking Jesus for their own problems, but none of them were desperate like this woman or had her kind of faith. Why didn’t those who touched him in the crowd report their own miracle? or do you think they had no problems? It’s because they were not intentional. Desperate faith is an intentional kind of faith. They were not deliberate, the crowds were just following Jesus about, maybe for food or for His fame and popularity.

Don’t just follow Jesus because it’s the “in” thing to do, be deliberate, be intentional.

This woman received her healing because her intentions for touching Jesus were in line with His will and purpose on the earth – Jesus came to heal and save and through her faith, she connected to this and virtue flowed out of Him and healed her!

This woman wasn’t supposed to be in public but she intentionally came out, she had a reason and purpose for breaking the culture, she was determined to get something. Those who saw her probably ridiculed the sight of her, but nonetheless, she pushed through bravely at great cost to her own life. Never let the crowd intimidate you, don’t care what people will say. Just like this woman, don’t let your desperation keep you in shame; go and get your miracle.

Faith, Great Faith.

Faith moves mountains, but great faith makes whole. She wasn’t just healed from her disease, she was also freed of her shame when Jesus publicly identified her and made her socially acceptable by declaring to all that she had been healed.

The touch of faith releases power that brings healing, we may not have Jesus’ garments but we have something greater, His name. If we channel our desperation into faith, we can use that faith to touch the name of Jesus and release the power for our healing.

You’ve got to get a little crazy.

It might not seem like it, but the woman with the issue of blood came to steal her cure. Yes, “If I can only touch the hem of his garment” remember. Yeah, Her case was so bad, She could not in modesty tell Jesus her issues publicly, as others did. She intended to take her healing and get out of there as quickly as possible. To even draw any attention to the sickness she had before was so publicly humiliating, that’s how bad it was.

How many of us got problems that we can’t say publicly? Problems that have exhausted all we had. Take your desperation to Jesus. This woman’s faith was suited to her case. Your own situation requires your own kind of crazy faith.

For Hannah, her crazy faith was in her praying like she was drunk and her outright declaration, that she would even give the child back to God, she just wanted to be desperately free of the title “barren”. It didn’t even matter that the child wasn’t hers to keep, as long as she could bear a living breathing child. It was enough to satisfy her soul. Now that’s a woman with crazy faith. Even more so Blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10: 46 – 52. They tried to keep him quiet but he screamed even louder. Sometimes, your desperation needs to make you a little crazy. Crazy faith leads to crazy healing.

Stop Weeping! Fear, Not; Believe Only.

In the presence of another person’s testimony, they brought Jarius bad news and told him, no need to bother the Rabbi any longer, your daughter has died, there’s nothing He can do. Imagine how Jarius felt, the miracle that should have given him encouragement about what Jesus can do, would now turn to a source of sorrow…“If the master had not stopped to find out who touched him and heal this woman, my daughter could have lived”... There are times where we will see miracles in the lives of others and wonder what about me? it may increase our desperation but we must focus again on our faith. If God can do it for them, let that encourage us that He has not forgotten about us either.

Jesus took only his closest circle and He had to put out those who laughed when He told them she was sleeping, because their unbelief could have hindered the miracle that was about to happen.

Christ put those out as unworthy to be witnesses of the miracle, who were noisy in their sorrow, and were so ignorant in the things of God, as not to understand him when he spoke of death as a sleep, or so scornful, as to ridicule him for it.

— Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Sometimes, God needs to separate us from those who don’t believe, so that He can work the miracle and allow our faith to carry us, it is our testimony that they will marvel at even more because they did not believe. There are those that will ridicule your desperation and your crazy faith but, in the face of the impossible, fear not, believe only. 

Faith Gives Honour To Christ, Fear Doesn’t.

The poor woman, hereupon, presented herself to the Lord Jesus (Mark 5:33), fearing and trembling, not knowing how he would take it.

Christ’s patients are often trembling, when they have reason to be triumphing. She might have come boldly, knowing what was done in her; yet, knowing that, she fears and trembles.

There is nothing better for those that fear and tremble, than to throw themselves at the feet of the Lord Jesus; to humble themselves before him, and refer themselves to him.

And she told him all the truth. We must not be ashamed to own the secret transactions between Christ and our souls; but, when called to it, mention, to his praise, and the encouragement of others, what he has done for our souls, and the experience we have had of healing virtue derived from him.

And the consideration of this, that nothing can be hid from Christ, should engage us to confess all to him. See what an encouraging word he gave her: Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. Christ puts honour upon faith, because faith gives honour to Christ.They that by faith are healed of their spiritual diseases, have reason to go in peace. — Matthew Henry’s Commentary

If you’re feeling desperate, the best thing is to throw yourself at the feet of Jesus. This woman came to steal her cure, but nothing is ever hidden from Jesus. Secret acts will be revealed, even secret acts of faith. Our faith gives honour to Christ. It is best that we push through our desperation and choose to see the issues of life as a chance to have faith in God and challenge Him to come to our rescue.

Although the woman with the issue of blood exhausted her options elsewhere instead of coming to God first, we can learn from her mistake and realise that it is best to come to God first. Nonetheless, God is a sure refuge, even to those who make him their last refuge.

This has been an individual message so far but the bigger message is that as the body of Christ, we need to be desperate with faith for the will of God to be here on earth as it is in heaven.

If we want to see change on this earth, if we want to see healing, if we want to alleviate suffering, if we want to bring peace, it starts with desperation and crazy faith because even love operates through faith. How desperate are we to change the world?

Jacob wrestling with the angel in desperation said I won’t let you go unless you bless me. Sarah’s desperation on the other hand made her forsake faith and that led to Ishmael.

How will you use your desperation today; to serve good or evil?

Prayer: Dear Lord, there are issues in my life that I cannot say publicly, but help me to have crazy faith, that I may receive a crazy miracle. I pray that my desperation will lead to change, not just in my life, but in the whole earth. In Jesus name I pray, Amen

Grace & Peace!

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*Please note that NASB, KJV or NKJV are the standard versions used, but EXB (Expanded Bible) has been made use of for illustrative purposes.

* Crazy in this context means enthusiastic. Very enthusiastic.