Touching Jesus.
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A Soldier’s Prayer
I asked God for strength, that I might achieve,
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health, that I might do great things,
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
I asked for riches, that I might be happy,
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men,
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life,
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among all men, most richly blessed.3
So Much to Do
Scholars remind us, “Luther was above all else a man of prayer.” Martin Luther was an insatiable worker. He drove himself mercilessly. Up at daybreak, he put in long hours studying, translating, and writing. Think of his massive commentaries. Think of translating the entire New Testament from Erasmus’s Greek into a common language in eleven short weeks! Yet Luther took time to pray an hour or two each day. He said he prayed a lot because he had so much to do.
3 Prayer of an unknown Confederate soldier.
Jones, G. C. (1986). 1000 illustrations for preaching and teaching (pp. 298–299). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
Luke 11:9–10 (KJV 1900)
9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger people! Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle but you shall be a miracle. Every day you shall wonder at yourself, at the richness of life which has come to you by the grace of God.
Phillips Brooks
18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.
19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.
20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:
21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
23 And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,
24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.
25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.
26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.
34 And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.
35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;
36 And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.
They new the importants of the tassles or the corners of the clothes
Numbers 15:37–41 (KJV 1900)
37 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:
39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:
40 That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.
41 I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God.
11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
APRON Translation of a Hebrew word in the OT otherwise translated as girdle (1 Sam. 18:4; 2 Sam. 18:11; 20:8; 1 Kings 2:5; Isa. 3:24). In Gen. 3:7, the fig leaves sewn together by Adam and Eve are called aprons to hide their nakedness. In the OT the girdle was an inner garment wrapped around the waist. In the NT the girdle was wrapped around the waist of the outer garment. In Acts 19:12 the aprons and handkerchiefs of Paul had healing powers.
Word Studies:
This noun is a Latin loanword ( sudarium, from sudor, “sweat”) denoting small cloths used by the Romans for wiping the hands and face ( Illustrated Bible Dictionary, “Handkerchief,” 2:608).
The word appears four times in the New Testament. In the Parable of the Pounds, one servant kept his pound in a “napkin” (Luke 19:20, KJV; NASB, “handkerchief”; NIV, “piece of cloth”). In Acts 19:12 the sweatcloths (“handkerchiefs,” KJV, NIV, NASB) Paul apparently tied around his head while making tents were taken to heal the sick (Bruce, New International Commentary on the New Testament, Acts, p.384). In John 11:44 and 20:7 such “cloths” were used, according to Jewish custom, to cover the faces of the corpses of Lazarus and Jesus.
Acts 5:12–14 (KJV 1900)
12 And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch.
13 And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.
14 And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)
15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.
16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.