Day 23 | The Bleeding Woman

Read Matthew 9:20-22

In Jewish culture, when a woman was bleeding she was deemed unclean for the duration of the bleeding, and so was everything she touched. The woman we read about in Matthew 9 had been bleeding for 12 years. Talk about isolation! The very act of her being in a crowd of people would not have been accepted, but she was desperate. This woman had spent all she had on doctors and lost hope in finding healing (Luke 8:43-44). When she heard about Jesus, she was filled with hope again and sought to get close to Him. When she touched Him, the woman did not make Jesus unclean, but instead, He made her clean!

Jesus was on His way to heal a little girl (Matthew 9:18-19), and yet when this woman touched Him, He welcomed the interruption. Perhaps that is the most remarkable aspect of this story, that Jesus acknowledged the woman. He stopped, turned, and looked her right in the eyes. He recognized that she had a desire to be healed, had faith that He could make her well, and took a step of faith to reach out to Him. He stopped what He was doing and met her where she was.

Jesus does the same for us today. Whenever you choose to reach out to the loving Father, He will be there. He is never too busy for you, yet we often allow ourselves to think we are too busy for Him. You may be in a season of desperation right now. Maybe you need God to do something big in your life. Get alone with the Lord. Seek His face, not just His hand in the miracle you need. Are you reaching for Jesus in your desperation? Maybe you are not in that place right now, but chances are you have been. Are you still reaching for Jesus?

Pray for 10 minutes