The difference in the power of human touch and the Lord's touch, is that human touch is temporary, and His is PERMANENT!!! Human touch is fleshly, and His touch is Spiritual! The Lord's touch brings complete healing and CURE that is eternal! (II Corinthians 4:18). The Lord had just crossed the Sea of Galilee and as soon as He was off of the boat, a crowd of people began to throng Him. He had people everywhere running to Him, wanting to see and touch Him. But, there was one woman that truly touched Him. This woman had been sick with a disease, an "issue of blood" (vs. 25) for 12 years. She had suffered many things of many doctors, and had spent her "all her living" (Luke 8:43) upon them, trying to get healed of it. The phrase "all her living" not only implies that she spent all that she had monetarily, but all of her effort and strength that she had left was spent DAILY trying to be healed. No doubt she spent every hour of every day thinking of it: planning, staying on schedule with medicines; yet it was ALL IN VAIN!!! Above all of her labors, there was the constant pain to remind her that it was NOT WORKING OR HELPING!! The Bible said that she even grew WORSE despite her efforts. Are we not the same before we come to Jesus? We know there is something wrong with us, but no matter how hard we try to 'BETTER' ourselves, we seem to continually get worse. Luke 11:26-28 tells us that self improvement or reformation does nothing but make us worse off. The end result of such efforts leaves us in a state that makes us even more sick than we were before, vs 28. In God's eyes, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;" Isaiah 64:6. She knew she was getting worse everyday, and she was at her wit's end. She had done all she knew to do, and was desperate, just as described in Psalms 107:27, "They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end." BUT, she had heard that Jesus was there and she believed from what she had heard that He was the only One that could heal her, vs 27 & 28. She came to Him. "I stretch forth my hands unto thee; my soul THIRSTETH after thee..." Psalm 143:6. She reached forth to touch the Lord's garments, and she was IMMEDIATELY HEALED OF THAT PLAGUE! Her blood disease was healed by the Power in the Blood of the Lamb of God!!Jesus still calls for us to "COME unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28.
Then, the woman CONFESSED what this touch had done!! Jesus IMMEDIATELY knew that someone had touched, or reached out to HIM in FAITH. This was the difference in the touch of this woman and the touch from the crowd thronging Him.The touch from the crowd was not "mixed with faith" Hebrews 4:2. Jesus asked the question "Who touched my clothes??" vs. 30. Jesus knows when healing power, and virtue, go out of HIM because HE is the ONE that sends it! Did He have to ask who touched Him and what had just happened???? NO!!! He knew! He wanted this woman that had touched Him, reaching out to God in secret, to CONFESS publicly what had just happened! We are to do the same! We are to tell the world what Jesus has done for us in salvation and thereafter! "That if thou shalt CONFESS with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe int thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thous shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth CONFESSION is made unto salvation." Romans 10: 9 & 10. Knowing what was done in her, the woman " told him all the truth," vs 33. She confessed before that whole crowd why she came, what she had just done in touching Him in faith, and what HE HAD DONE!! Boldly stand and tell others of your salvation and what Jesus has done for you!!! She came in faith because she had heard of what Jesus had done for others. "Faith cometh by hearing," Romans 10:17. We will never know who the Lord will draw unto Himself because of our testifying of what He has done for us!!!
After she confessed what He had done, the Lord gave her COMFORT from this touch! "Daughter, be of good COMFORT; thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace." Luke 8:40. The Lord wanted to give His new daughter the COMFORT of ASSURANCE that she was now His child."But as many as receive Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:12. He wanted her to be comforted in knowing that she was COMPLETELY whole. He wanted to comfort her in letting her know that she would now have peace!! Only He can bring this COMFORT through a touch because HE IS THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT!!! "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT! Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." II Corinthians 1:3 &4. Now that's a LOT of COMFORT right there! The Lord wants us to be completely encompassed with HIS COMFORT just as a mother comforts her weary child!! "As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you;" Isaiah 66:13.
A touch of faith will bring CURE, CONFESSION, AND COMFORT!! ONLY our Great Physician can give this to us! Are you sin sick? Reach out your hand in faith to Him! He is there right beside you, waiting for you to come to Him, just as the father stood waiting on the Prodigal son to come to Him! Have you already received the Cure from the Saviour, but haven't CONFESSED HIM publicly? Speak it today! Tell someone what Jesus has done for you so that they can be cured also! Are you weary today? Have you been fighting long physical or spiritual battles? Reach out to our God of all Comfort for that reassurance today! "But it is a good thing for me to DRAW NEAR to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works." Psalms 73:28
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