Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, Luke 8:43-48 (Story from the Bible.)
This is the story of the woman with bleeding for twelve years told from her perspective-
I am wretched. I am broken. I have visited every doctor I can possibly afford, and there is no one left. They have done excruciating painful things to my body, in order to seek treatment and healing.
But the sons of men cannot heal me. Because of my bleeding, I have been made legally unclean. No man can touch me. I am undesirable. I am not beautiful. I have lost everything.
There is no one left.
My family and friends have deserted me. Who wants to be around someone who is legally unclean? I cannot be with a man because of this affliction. For twelve years I have lived this way. God, GOD, why are you not answering my prayers? All I want is to be set free.
I have been cast out. Unwanted. Ashamed. Afraid.
But I have heard of a man. He heals thousands. He raises the dead. Blind eyes can see. Ears can hear. The lame can walk. But how will I ever find him in this land? It is to dangerous for me to go that way by myself. All I want is to see Him. To know that someone as lowly as I can be saved.
There he is! He is walking away, being led away to heal someone. There are so many around Him, He is on a mission and there is no way to stop Him. All I want is to touch Him! Oh God, help me reach Him! If I simply touch His cloak I am healed!
I don’t want to stop Him, This affliction is humiliating and disgusting and I do not want Him to know. What if He humiliates me for my affliction, as so many have done before? I just want this to stay a secret. I just want to be healed! All I want is to be made whole!
I cannot reach Him, I am on hands and knee’s, fighting my way through the crowd of people pressing around Him. I reach out my hand, so close and yet so far away! This is my last chance. This is my last hope! To be saved by this man who is the Son of God. Even the hem of His garment is more than enough.
Straining I touch the hem of cloak! I feel His power of healing running through my body. Instantly. I AM HEALED. I know I have been healed by the Son of God.
But wait…why is He stopping…why does He want to know that it is I that He has healed? He knows someone touched His cloak, He knows healing power has gone through Him.
This man called Jesus, He is looking at me. He knows it is me. His eyes are stayed on me. What will He do when He knows the truth? But His eyes never stray from my face. All I want is to thank Him, but I have been turned away and cast out so many times. But this man is different.
I trusted Him to heal my physical being, I know I can trust Him with the vulnerability of my heart.
I step forward, slowly, uncertainly, please do not reject me…
I tell Him all of the truth. “I touched the hem of Your garment, and I was healed from my affliction.” Vulnerable, completely raw, here I am, trembling.
He looks deep in my eyes, and I see love, compassion, and mercy. I see forgiveness. I see beauty.
“Take heart daughter. Your faith has healed you.”
Why did He call me daughter? Why did He not publicly shame and humiliate me? Why did He have mercy on me?
How could He know my innate desire to is be loved by a Father. To know someone is patient, and kind with me, as a father should be. I have not known this kind of love. Where I am given a gift so freely.
Doctors require money. Never has one doctor given me compassion. Given me mercy. My family has forsaken me. I have been cast down. Unloved and unwanted. But this man. When He looked at me, I saw love.
Never has someone shown me such kindness. Surely there is no other like this Man.
Surely, I have been set free.
This story changed my life. It was what the Lord used to be the turning point in our relationship. I was crying out to be healed by my Savior. All of us, at one point or another, have felt this way in our walk with God, so allow me to share my personal experience.
I was knee deep in sin. Uncertain and unsure of my Heavely Father’s love, I did not know how to walk out my days. Whether in meant to cry out for forgiveness, or continue in wickedness. I was sitting in my room reading my Bible, when I read this specific story, and I audibly heard the Lord say, “Ariana, I have NEVER stopped loving you.”
His presence came over me and I wept. I wept and wept and wept. His hand was on my heart, healing me of pain, of strife, of fear. His blood was, and is making me clean.
I knew that He loved me. I knew He forgave me. I knew that His presence was real. His mercy never ending. He spoke truth in my soul, and I have never been the same.
His mercy is kind, compassionate, truthful, just, and there for us.
I am still not 100% sure why the Lord used this particular story to change me, but He did. And since that day, sitting in my room and the Lord’s presence was surrounding me, I knew I had touched the hem of His cloak, and He did, and has transformed me. I have never been the same.
His love still is being made real to me.
Never has someone shown me such kindness. Surely there is no other like this Man.
Surely, I have been set free.
From this testimony, this is the message I want to carry with me, on the World Race, and all the days of my life.
-Whom the Son sets free, is free indeed. Hallelujah!
