Most of us can recall at least one time in our lives when we found ourselves in a touchy situation. Things may have been very tense and we may have been anxious about how the situation would turn out. In fact, it may have seemed that there was no way out.
In Luke 8:43-48, the Bible tells of a woman who had an issue of blood that no doctor could heal. She suffered for 12 years and it seemed there was no way out of her condition.
In Bible times, people with medical issues were often required to be separated from the main population, essentially forced to live as outcasts, but, she heard that Jesus was passing by....
If she had taken time to consult with others about whether she should approach Jesus to ask Him for healing, she might have been told, "Well...I don't know...that's a touchy situation. It's not acceptable for a woman to just walk up to a man she doesn't know. And, you know, with your medical issue, you are considered unclean, so you shouldn't even be walking through the crowd to try to get to Jesus...."
Perhaps she had all of this in mind when she humbly crouched down and stretched her hand to touch the hem of Jesus' garment instead of walking up to Him for a face-to-face request. Her situation was, indeed, touchy, but, somewhere within her a mustard seed of faith wouldn't let her suffer on the sidelines another day.
How long will we allow our conditions to keep us sidelined? Some of us may have several strikes against us according to society's standards, but no matter how touchy our situation is, we have a God who specializes in touchy situations! In fact, all it takes is a touch and we will never be the same! That's what the woman with the issue of blood found out. She was not rebuked for touching Jesus, she was rewarded. Jesus told her, "...be of good comfort: thy faith has made thee whole...."
Decide today to press your way for at least a touch of Jesus. Whether that means finding a Bible study, prayer meeting, worship service, a phone call to a friend for prayer, a search on the internet for a transforming message from the Lord or just opening your Bible and meditating on a favorite verse. It doesn't matter how long you've known the Lord or have been studying His Word, His mercies are new every morning. That means today's touch might not be the same as yesterday's, so keep pressing.
Even those of us who minister sometimes need to press through the overwhelming "business" of ministry and get a fresh touch from the Lord to help us withstand the touchy situations we face in our work for the Lord. We also have to be mindful of not becoming so "holy" and pious that we no longer allow ourselves to be touched or moved by God's presence, relegating such experiences to a fond but distant memory.
Maintaining a touch point with the Lord on a regular basis is critical for our own growth and relationship. When we are not regularly in touch with the Lord we are "out of touch" with the reality that the only wisdom and power we have comes from the Lord, not us. Whenever we think it's o.k. to live, love, or lead without the Lord's touch, we have definitely placed ourselves in a touchy situation.
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
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