Maybe some doctors need to check out the story of healing here in Mark. Sometimes I get the feeling that doctors only know as much as their teacher taught them. Some of them go into more in depth research and find a little new twist on curing a disease here or there, but the knowledge has always built off of what was known before them. From what I can understand, new diseases throw a wrench into their lives just like new problems do with the rest of ours. What if a doctor had power to heal you if you just had a strong enough belief that he or she could help.

I can’t imagine bleeding for 12 years, let alone 12 days. This lady had been seeking the help of local doctors, but none were able to help her much. The strength of her faith is what caused her to be healed, not just touching the edges of Christ’s clothing. I praise God for giving me enough health to make it through today, but I also pray for the times when my health heads south and that my faith stays strong.

When reading about Christ controlling the storm here in Mark, it makes me realize a few things. The power He had on the universe while on earth had very little to do with how alert He was and didn’t require Him to do anything special to display His power. He started an intense storm while He was asleep in a boat, and wasn’t near as rattled as the disciples were when He got up and saw the situation they were in.

I also realize that His words, “Quiet! Be Still”, were just a verbal picture of His protection over His followers in the boat. The ocean doesn’t have ears, but it does have a sense of listening when Christ wants it to obey. Our lives are quite a bit like this storm. In full control of His grace. He can allow us to go through ups and downs in our life that make us feel like we’re headed for destruction, but He also is willing to control things and bring peace to our situations if we let Him have control and look for His guidance. When my boat is almost upside down, sometimes I try to push as hard as possible, trying to prove that I don’t need Him to step in. Not knowing what storms are ahead of me (which I am sure there are some), I need to understand He’ll be there to give me peace.

A powerful God walking the streets – that’s the picture we get here in Luke. Imagine being at your child’s funeral and Jesus walking up to the body as it was being carried to the grave and commanding it to return to life. This actually happened and the disciples witnessed it and weren’t quite sure how to respond. When they got back together with Jesus for supper that evening He was laughing at jokes and just hanging out with men. But hours earlier He was performing a miracle and doing things that men don’t. He wasn’t just part God and part man – He was entirely both at the same time. I can’t imagine being His disciples and trying to understand it all, but I have the same challenge today – trying to understand how a man died for me, created me, and has given me a reason to live.

As a parent, I find myself practicing counting quite a bit. When talking to either one of our three girls I usually give them the 1-2-3 treatment if something needs to change soon……I don’t count slowly either, lol. Rarely do I get to 3 without them listening and moving on it, and I’m thankful that I don’t have to count for them to listen to most of what I ask them.

I thought of this when reading about Jesus and the paralytic at Bethesda here. The paralytic was sitting there waiting on the underwater springs to cause a bubbling effect believed to heal the first to touch it after that happened. He couldn’t get there on His own. Then enters Jesus. The first thought would be that Jesus would walk over and assist the man in getting to the pool after the bubbles arrived. Who knows if the “magic bubbles” believed to be stirred by angels wings touching the water actually did heal, but Jesus wasn’t hear to play games. When Jesus asked the man if he preferred to be healed the man instantly thought of the bubbles. His mind was off of the power Jesus had to make things right.

Did Jesus have to start counting to 3 before the man trusted Him? No. He spoke and the man got up, grabbed his mat, and walked away a healed paralytic. Jesus didn’t need to give the man time to believe, but the man’s trust wasn’t there. How often do we make Jesus count to 200 before we let Him move in our lives? This example definitely challenges me to let the God work in my life whenever He wants to. He’s probably sick of me thinking that He needs to practice counting before I trust Him. As Max says in the book, “When Jesus tells us to stand, let’s stand”.

People who seek Jesus find Him. But the question always is – what role do we play in helping them seek Him and who is it that we look to help do this? Jesus was our example in situations like this as well. When He had a chance to go out and tell others about salvation, He didn’t just direct His conversation at the nicest family and friends in His circle. He walked down the street and ended up spending the day with tax collectors and others that culture didn’t have much appreciation for. That’s definitely not the case with me, not sure about you. The way I see it, those closest to you should see Jesus through your life more often than strangers you meet somewhere for the first time.