Encountering God

Mark 5 records three stories of people encountering Jesus. Two of the stories are interwoven into one with the woman who touched Jesus’ robe interrupting the story of Jesus healing Jairus’ daughter. All the characters in Mark 5 had one thing in common: they were desperate for help.

If we are honest, we encounter Jesus when we become desperate for him, and we miss out on encounters when we are apathetic about him. It does not mean we always need to be in a crisis to be ready to encounter Jesus. It could be that our desire for him reaches a depth of desperation and love, but either way, desperation leads to encounters.

Look at the woman who touched Jesus’ robe. The story starts in Mark 5:21 if you want to read it. Through the bustle of a busy crowd, this woman reached out and grabbed Jesus’ robe. When Jesus asked who touched him, the disciples said something interesting in Mark 5:31 ESV, saying, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘who touched me?’”

The point was that many people were reaching out for Jesus, but this woman was healed. She encountered Jesus because she was desperate for him. How will you reach out to Jesus today?

Will you come to him passively? Will you be curious but unpassionate? Or will you reach out in desperate faith for more of his presence and healing in your life?

Maybe you really do not know the answer. Maybe you feel fairly bland about the idea of prayer and seeking God. That is okay. The truth is that breaking down walls of apathy and numbness takes time. This is the power of abiding daily. We intentionally put ourselves before the Lord and pray as David prayed in Psalm 139:23 ESV, saying, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!”

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