Things I’ve Learned Thursday (TILT #017)
Recently, someone I know emailed me after they had suffered a painful personal setback. This person started their email by saying, “Brent, you asked me to give you an update on this, so I’m writing to give you the information.” The fact is, I hadn’t spoken to this person in weeks and there was no such conversation between us. I did not ask them for any information at all. I needed the Holy Spirit to remind me that the person was simply hurting and was just trying to reach out and look for someone who cared. It wasn’t about me, but it was about them seeking the human touch. They were looking for someone who would sit with them in their pain.
My wife and I were talking about this and it reminded us of the story of the lady who wanted to touch Jesus’ garment.
Luke 8:43-48 (NIV) reads as follows:
And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”
But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
So, there are two takeaways that I felt the Holy Spirit impressed upon me in this instance. First, there are people all around us that are hurting in one way or another. This is a reality of living in this fallen world. This lady had been bleeding for 12 years, but there are a lot of people who have been bleeding spiritually, emotionally, or mentally. And they’re looking for just a touch.
Secondly, as God’s children, we have to know that we have God’s healing power. And we are often people who are intimately familiar with pain ourselves. So, in a sense, you and I are precisely the people that those in pain should be seeking out. People will want to be touched by you and to touch you! I think we have to embrace that, even if it takes energy and power out of us, just like Jesus felt the energy come out of Him. He felt a draining effect; and sometimes we can be drained by giving our spiritual and emotional resources too. But, God will always replenish us for this type of work. He is a God who is available to His children when they need…just a touch!
Don’t forget God today!
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