Who Touched Me?

-Reading from Mark 5:25-34

Mark 5:25–34 (CSB)

25 Now a woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years 26 had endured much under many doctors. She had spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she became worse. 27 Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothing. 28 For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I’ll be made well.” 29 Instantly her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction.

30 Immediately Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?”

31 His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing against you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

32 But he was looking around to see who had done this. 33 The woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction.”

-Frustration when someone can’t communicate

Our son Mateo was born on his mother’s birthday in 2006. Yadi, and Mateo have their own little routine about who’s birthday get the most attention every year.

Yadi & I together have 4 children and two grandchildren.

The experience we got with the first two laid the ground work for how we expected it to go when Mateo was born.

What to expect,

How to be prepared

How to travel with children etc.

After Mateo, we decided we weren’t going to have anymore children.

But, as we know, God had other plans.

He wasn’t done with us yet, and surprise, early in 2018, we learned that Ezra was on his way.

Naturally, we expected all to go relatively similar to our previous children, in regards to our usual child rearing routine.

To our surprise, we learned that Ezra was not going to be like all the other children we’d already had, in fact, he wouldn’t be like any child anywhere.

He was diagnosed with moderate Autism.

I remember hearing one of my favorite apologist speak, and he mentioned having spoken with a couple with a severely handicapped little one.

And he said that couple told him that they had learned more about love through that little one than the others that came before him.

I remembered assuming that it was because of it’s innocence.

I reflect on that a lot when I think about what Yadi, myself, & our family have learned since little Ezra came into our lives.

There are many things in this life that we all take for granted.

We expect our children to one day walk on their own, eat on their own, and to communicate on their own, etc.

And rightly so, this is normal human development.

But, when some of those processes are delayed or otherwise obstructed, it is another world all together from what we are used to.

With our little guy, along with a couple of other things, so far, hasn’t been able to speak, or communicate verbally with us.

He’s fast approaching 5 years old, and Yadi has yet to hear our son say “Mommy”

It has been a struggle for sure trying to discern exactly what he wants, needs, or likes or dislikes.

We never realized how difficult it would be not to be able to communicate our needs, let alone, how difficult it must be for a little one, so new to life.

By now, he must have many questions, that he can’t ask.

All the time now, I’ll catch him studying things you and I take for granted because we know what they do, if not, we can ask, and someone who can speak, will tell us certain things do.

For instance, in our personal bathroom, in our room, I installed an automatic flush, like you would see at a commercial restroom somewhere.

There is a sensor on the back that is engaged whenever someone uses it. When the sensor senses you are finished, it flushes automatically.

Not long ago, Ezra happened to be in there when the sensor must have mistaken him for using it, and it flushed.

It was cutest thing for me to see little Ezra completely examining the toilet and the sensor.

He was trying to figure it out on his own. Naturally, if he could speak, I could just explain it to him.

But he has learned to fulfill his curiosity by figuring it out on his own.

This is cute to watch how his little inquisitive mind innocently goes to work.

But, is an entirely different experience when he can’t figure it out, and he so desperately wants to.

I can see a sense of frustration on his face and in his tears that are crushing to the heart of any parent who feels so hopeless in deciphering the needs, pain, etc of their child that they can’t communicate for themselves.

You things like, my tummy aches, or my ear hurts, or I’m hungry, etc.

Yadi & I have to become mind-reading detectives. We have learned to read the signs as best as we can, and still never sure we’ve tackled the issue.

It would be so much easier on Ezra if he could just say what he wanted from us, then we would know.

-Most of us can effectively communicate

Most of us have the ability to say what we want.

And many of us are experts at saying what-ever we want.

Some of us pride ourselves in being people who say what they want, and when they want, regardless of the outcome.

-But not when it comes to spiritual matters

But, unfortunately, when it comes to matters of the spirit, they are silently trying to examine the issue from every side, trying desperately hard to figure it out on their own.

Its funny, because if they would just Ask someone who can speak, they get help in understanding the issue.

So many if us suffer with things,

Addictions,

Anxiety

Depression

Loneliness,

Financial trouble

Lack of Joy in their lives,

Unhappiness

Sadness

bitterness

healthiness, etc

All because we haven’t confessed or spoken, or effectively communicated our need to the one who understands everything, and has the answer to everything.

-God tells us to communicate our needs with Him

Yes, I believe there are things we go through in life that are un-necessary, and if we would just confess our desire to the Lord for it to be removed, or added, that God would answer and grant it to you.

If you would just Confess it to the Lord.

James 4:2–3 CSB

2 You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Unfortunately, many of us have had to learn on their own, like my little boy, and they’ve been doing for so long they don’t know how

Or, even worse are too proud to ask for it, or even to confess the need for it in their lives.

If you identify with either one of those statements, then shame on you.

Because, unlike some, You have the ability to confess your needs to our Holy father but refuse to do so.

So, you are content to go on with your lives, dealing with those issues, rather than bringing them before the altar of the Lord and asking Him for them to be removed.

Now, sometimes we aren’t given the answer we hoped for, but at least you were heard!

2 Corinthians 12:7-9(CSB)

… Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself. 8 Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.”

Here we see that Paul knew where his issue could be resolved, but God said, no, I’ve got plans for your experience from it.

But, Paul confessed his need to the Lord, without hesitation.

It is through the confession of the mouth and heart that salvation is possible.

Romans 10:9 CSB

9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

If you want or need something from God, it is only a conversation away.

-No access to the Spiritual without prayer

You cannot access the spiritual realm with your fingers or a magic wand as much as harry potter and friends might want you to believe you can.

They only way to access the spiritual world is with your words in prayer.

I’m telling you, right now, if you have a need in your life, whether it be

Financial

Medical

freedom from the bondage of addiction

from Pornography

from emotional issues

relational issues

-You must confess it before the Lord in prayer

You must confess it before the Lord in prayer, or you’ll just have to keep on trying to figure it all out on your own.

and Shame on you, as a Christian have the access that is exclusive to members only, of the body of Christ only, and you don’t use it

The promises of Heaven and in Scripture aren’t for everyone.

Those who believe and have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Lord and Savior have access to the throne room of God.

USE IT!

Stop trying to figure this thing out on your own.

I’ve heard many people say,

“I feel like God has more important things to do”

How ridiculous. God created all that is in six days. It’s nothing for God to handle your little issue.

I say little, because the size of your problems, directly relate to the size of your God.

I don’t know about you, but

“My God, My God is an awesome God,

He reigns, on heaven and earth”

For some context, let’s read about how God delivered a blind man from his darkness

Mark 10:46–52 CSB

46 They came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many warned him to keep quiet, but he was crying out all the more, “Have mercy on me, Son of David!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man and said to him, “Have courage! Get up; he’s calling for you.” 50 He threw off his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. 51 Then Jesus answered him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Rabboni,” the blind man said to him, “I want to see.” 52 Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has saved you.” Immediately he could see and began to follow Jesus on the road.

You see, it is with the confession of your mouth that moves the Spirit. God wants to hear from you.

He has cattle on a thousand hills, all that is His.

His Word commands it all,

All the way down to the smallest bacteria. Everything obeys God.

-Nothing is too big for God

Nothing is too big or too great for God to handle, but even the smallest bacteria in its natural form, which can’t even be seen with the naked eye can kill us.

The most deadly bacterial disease contracted by human beings is mycobacterium tuberculosis, the world's leading infectious disease with more than 1,700,000 deaths per year. As much as 13% of cases are resistant to most antibiotics, and about 6% are resistant or unresponsive to essentially all treatment.

So, we can’t do it on our own. We can’t figure it all out on our own. We have to confess our needs, desires, weaknesses, everything, before the Lord.

Only then will your true deliverance come.

-You will confess Him one way or the other

God will make sure you know it too.

Because

Philippians 2:10–11 (CSB)

10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Everyone will confess that He alone is where

our understanding comes from.

our healing comes from

our deliverance comes from

and our peace comes from

Last thought:

We read earlier about the woman whom was healed by the hem of Jesus’ garment

30 Immediately Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?”

31 His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing against you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

32 But he was looking around to see who had done this. 33 The woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction.”

We notice that she tried to do it on her own didn’t she?

She figured she’d rush in undetected and steal a little healing from Jesus did’t she?

Unlike Ezra, She can talk, and she was trying to figure it out on her own wasn’t she.

Once she was healed, Jesus feeling virtue leave him, called her out and forced her to confess what had happened.

She confessed where her healing came from, and her healing was granted.

I believe the same power exist for you today brother or sister whoever you are going through some very turbulent, violent, and uncertain times right now. I believe brother or sister, that if you were to get somewhere public or private, and confess these needs to the Lord, and how you truly believe your prayer will be granted,

Then on the authority of the Word of God in Scripture, He will hear you.

Amen!