[reprinted from July 27, 2011]
Once they crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. When the men of that place recognized Him, they alerted the whole vicinity and brought to Him all who were sick. They were begging Him that they might only touch the tassel on His robe. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well. Â Â Â Matthew 14:34-36 (HCSB)
I have had a week of meeting with people in a great deal of pain. They are grieving. Their loved ones have died and they feel lost, profoundly sad, angry, hopeless, numb, and confused. Most of them have loved the LORD for many years, even all their lives. And now He has allowed someone that they love to die and they cannot take that in.
Jesus isn’t just about healing bodies. He also wants us to be healthy in spirit. He wants us to be filled with joy. He wanted us to know that terrible things happen, hard times will come, but when we are connected to Him, we will be “more than conquerors†(Romans 8:37).
It can be near to impossible to have the energy (the strength) to move toward Jesus in the times we need Him most. We may be angry or shut down and refuse to move toward Jesus when we need Him most. We may not be able to see Jesus. That is when Jesus sends His angels to minister. That is when Jesus puts out His ‘call’ to the parts of the Body who are willing to go like Aaron and Hur and lift weak arms (Exodus 17:8-13); go like Ananias and pray over blind eyes (Acts 9:17-18); pray as His Body to set the prisoner free (Acts 12).
It only takes a “touch connection†to Jesus to receive His healing but sometimes my bruised and battered spirit and tired, low-on-hope heart needs some “therapyâ€. The healing happens over a period of time as I soak in His presence in prayer and worship.
Paul tells me in 2 Corinthians 1 that God’s comfort is given in all troubles so that we in turn can comfort others. His plan is to impart His comfort through me and you. That is why support groups are so vital in bringing people through grief, through addictions, through divorce, and other trials.
May we “alert the whole vicinity†that Jesus is just a touch away. May we be willing to go when called by Him to take His healing to another. May we be willing to pray without ceasing for someone to be “made perfectly wellâ€.
For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. Â Â Â 2 Corinthians 1:5-7 (NIV)
The Lord’s Prayer/ Reach Out & Touch written by Albert Hay Malotte/Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson, sung by CeCe Winans
