A Desperate Faith

--a repost from past pages and a prayer request at the end--

Her pain was great. Her misery engulfed her and had for twelve years. She had exhausted every avenue of medical knowledge, Spent her life's earnings. She had an issue--an issue of life-taking blood. His presence was great. It engulfed and enveloped everyone around. He had used but not exhausted the vast knowledge of His Father. He was soon to have an issue--an issue of life-giving blood. In the meantime He went about doing good-- healing those who were hurting, comforting those who were mourning-- Feeding those who were hungry. In her meantime, she went about searching For the one she had heard so much about-- She heard that He had set free a demon-possessed man, And the winds and waters of nature obeyed Him, yes, that's what she had heard-- Even heard that He had raised up a paralyzed man, And cleansed a leper's spots. She believed the stories she had heard about Him. She knew her faith came from God. Her faith was a desperate faith--
In Jewish culture she was considered unclean. An outcast--society's outcast. But she knew the moment she could reach out and touch Him, She would be healed. He knew the moment she had reached out and touched Him. He felt power flow from Him to her. With so many of the multitudes touching Him, Why did He suddenly notice when she touched Him? Could it have been because her faith was stronger, more desperate? A certain woman who He now called "Daughter"-- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We all have issues.   What's your issue today? 
Is your issue so important that it causes you to have a desperate faith?   Whatever it is, I pray that your faith matches that of this woman. I pray that you search for Him and find Him, that you reach out to Him and are healed.

from Mark 5  21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake.  22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet.  23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.”  24 So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him.  25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years.  26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.  27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,  28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”  29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.  30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”  31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask,‘Who touched me?’ ”  32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.  33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.  34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Prayer Request:  I can learn a lot from the woman above--she had been "waiting"

for twelve years for her healing to come--

It's been three weeks since I tore my meniscus and learned that

the normal surgery would not help it--that the knee

was in such bad shape that I needed a total knee replacement--

I've done pretty good I guess--not being able to clean house, paint, photography

or most of the things I love.

I can read and I am on the computer a lot designing etc.  I love to do that.

I was down for a year with a ruptured disc in my early thirties when our three sons

were very small--it was hard to watch my husband do everything for a year--

but I learned to wait--

and God taught me so many incredible lessons during that time.

I wouldn't go back and change it if I could.

The lessons were too valuable.

But my thirties were four decades ago and the lessons can sometimes get a little stale.

So my prayer request is this--

Please pray for the surgery itself and also that the days of

waiting for healing to come will be productive ones--

That I won't waste my sorrows--

The surgery is on Tuesday the 11th.

I don't know for sure how faithful I will be to blogging during that healing time

but please know I will be thinking about you and praying for you and loving you

with the love of the Lord.

And I will be back soon I hope.

Thank you for reading and praying.

I really appreciate it.

© all photographs and text property of Elizabeth Dianne unless otherwise noted

the woman--oil on canvas-enhanced in Photoshop