Reaching out to Him
Jesus and His disciples were walking with Jairus on his way to his home, and in verse 20 of Chapter 9, we read: "A woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of His cloak. She said to herself, 'If I only touch His cloak, I will be healed.'‘ Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," He said, "your faith has healed you," and the woman was healed at that moment.”
Faith That Reaches Out
This whole story is a story of much faith. Jairus had a lot of faith to come and say to Jesus, I believe if you just touch my daughter, she will live again. This lady had a lot of faith just to try and reach out and touch the tiniest part of Jesus' cloak, trusting that His healing would flow to her when she did that.
Let me ask you, are you reaching out to Jesus in faith? Are you straining to touch Him, fighting through the crowds just to get the smallest touch from Him?
I would encourage you right now to close your eyes and just reach out your hand. I know it sounds silly, but reach out your hand to Jesus with your eyes closed and say, “Lord, let Your power flow into my life. Let Your power come and touch me and change me from the inside out.”
Moving Beyond Passive Faith
Friends, the Christian life is a life of reaching out to Jesus. It's more than just belief. It's more than just mental comprehension of who He is. It's reaching out to Him with your heart. It's seeking Him. It's going after Him with all your heart.
Can I encourage you today and every day to reach out to Him and not just to let Him pass you by? She could have stood there, believed that He was the Son of God, but just let Him walk straight by. But she went after Him to get a touch from Him!
How can you do this in your life? Read that Bible, pray consistently, go to worship expecting to meet Jesus there. Take Holy Communion in awe of what He did for you. Reach out to Christian friends and have them pray for you and pray with them. All these things help us to reach out to God, friends, rather than just letting Him pass us by.
And so, if you've reached out for Him today, hear the words of Jesus: "Take heart, my son, my daughter, your faith has healed you." And then make this part of your life—reaching out to Him and touching Him, even the edge of His cloak, day by day.
