The Healing of Two Daughters

Luke 8:40-56

40 Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.
As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, and she had spent all she had on doctors, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”
46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher any more.”
50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”
51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. 52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”
53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

Have you heard of the parable of the two sons, the prodigal son and his older brother? Well, this is the story of the healing of two broken daughters. If you have ever faced brokenness in your life, then Jesus is speaking to you.

THE SCARS WE CARRY

Cancer.

Few words are more terrifying than this.

As many of you know, 13 months ago, I shaved my head and began chemotherapy to treat stage 3 “T-cell/histiocyte-rich B-cell lymphoma”. I had enlarged lymph nodes throughout my body. I went through six rounds of chemicals and vomiting. Hundreds prayed and God granted healing.

But I know that I am not the only one. We all carry scars. Our scars may be from cancer or sickness, or abuse, or grief, or the loss of a loved one. They may be from a broken family or the lack of a father or mother. Our scars may be due to genetic or chemical challenges we were born with. Our scars may come from things we have done that we regret.

And yet, joy is still possible. And Jesus will show us how.

These are the conflicting thoughts I carry with me into this text on healing.

We see a bleeding woman who has been through 12 crushing years of sickness. It is the equivalent of 12 years of chemotherapy. Each day is worse than the last. We see a twelve-year-old girl who, rather than celebrating the beginning of her adult life, faces a tragic life-threatening illness. We see a father named Jairus who does everything he can to fight the threat to his daughter. We see a woman all alone and Jesus steps in and becomes a father where there was none.

THE THREAT

I am a father. My son is thirteen and my daughter is ten. I would do anything to protect and help my children. When my son was five and my daughter was three, we were out taking a walk through a rural neighborhood in Oregon. Caleb and Constance hung onto each hand as the three of us meandered down the empty road. I looked over to a house about 50 feet to our left and saw a medium-sized dog on the porch. He began down the steps toward us, and though he did not bark, I could hear a low growl and could see his bared teeth and bristling mane. I wasn’t too concerned as he approached the fence separating us until he jumped through a gap in the fence and accelerated up onto the road. Suddenly, I found myself fifteen feet away from an obvious threat to my young children. Without really thinking, I placed my five-year-old son behind my legs, cradled my three-year-old daughter in my left arm and turned to use my body and right arm to shield from and attack this threat.

I remember looking at this dog with my outstretched fist thinking, “even if you rip my arm off, you will not get to these children… and then I will kill you.”

At that moment the owner ran out of her house yelling for her dog to come back. He hesitated, and then retreated.

I wasn’t trying to be anything or do anything heroic. I wasn’t really thinking anything profound other than the fact that I knew, to the core of my being, there was no way that dog was coming through me. That is just what a father does for his children. When there is a threat, you respond to the threat. You do whatever it takes, up to and including laying down your own life. I imagine nearly every father here has a story like this.

This was the reaction of the first father, Jairus, that we see in the text: he does whatever it takes to counter the threat to his daughter.

We also see Jesus in this text. Jesus brings healing and life to a broken and hurting world. But make no mistake, in order to bring life and healing, Jesus must overcome the 3 threats to our lives and eternal destinies:
1) The evil and sin inside of us: that which causes pride, self-centeredness, and war.
2) The Spiritual world fighting against us, led by Satan himself,
3) And the shadow that disease, illness, and death cast over us.

All throughout Luke, Jesus counters evil, transforms people, casts out evil spirits, heals life-threatening illnesses, and will overcome death at the cross and His resurrection. Jesus is willing to do whatever it takes to bring healing and life to this world, up to and including the laying down of his own life; and it will cost Him His life.

HE SEES YOU

Now we arrive at two very difficult, tragic, and intimate scenes. This is the story of one person at a time, and Jesus takes the time. He stops. He values each individual person where they are. He does not simply see a crowd. He sees you.

And here, Jesus sees two women, two daughters, two tragedies. But there is hope.

WHO WAS JAIRUS?

40 Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him.
41 Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house

Jairus is a leader of the synagogue. Leaders of synagogues were generally social and economic leaders in their communities. Normally, people came to him for solutions. Here he is, a great leader, utterly humbled by a desperate need. In that brokenness, in that humiliation, he publically throws himself down before a man who is undoubtedly younger than he is, Jesus, who is in his early thirties, casting aside his dignity, to request that this younger man come and deal with that brokenness. In coming to Jesus, Jairus, this leader, is recognizing that Jesus can do what great men cannot, that the power of God is in Jesus to do mighty things.

Jesus agrees to go. All throughout the Gospels, every time Jesus responds positively to a person’s request, he always comes through. We can imagine Jairus walking along with Jesus with great expectation and joy.

THE DYING DAUGHTER

42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.

The child is 12 years old. What does that mean? In Jewish circles a variety of images would come to mind when you mention a girl turning 12. At the age of 12 in Jewish culture, traditionally, girls celebrate their “Bat Mitzvah.” At this point they are fully responsible for their actions, rather than their parents being responsible for them. They become full-fledged members of the Jewish community.

This 12-year-old girl is on the threshold of becoming a woman. In First-Century Jewish culture, It was soon after this age that parents began to make marriage contracts for their daughters. They would not necessarily marry immediately, but the contracts between parents would be drawn up at this time. When so many children died young and so many women died in childbirth at that time, they didn’t mess around. They began reproducing as soon and as often as they were physically able. Also, the age of 12 roughly coincided with physical puberty. In other words, she begins to menstruate. Traditionally, her bleeding has started.

She is at the threshold of being able to give birth to life. But she is dying. She may never give life. Her life may be snuffed out.

THE BLEEDING WOMAN

As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, and she had spent all she had on doctors, but no one could heal her.

Why didn’t the woman throw herself before Jesus in the same way that Jairus did? There are several reasons: First of all, she was alone. She had no father to plead for her, to shield her from the threat. Have you felt alone, that there was no one there to plead for you or shield you? This is where she was. Second, she may have felt shame to speak of her bleeding publicly. Third, and perhaps more importantly in the context of the First-Century Jewish tradition, she was ritually unclean: In traditional Jewish culture, a woman was impure for seven days from the beginning of her menstrual flow, her period (Lev. 12:2; 15:25-30). This woman has been in a constant state of being impure for twelve years. She could not participate in regular society. She could not go up to the Temple and worship. In traditional Jewish culture, anyone who touches a menstruating woman becomes unclean until evening (Lev. 15:19). In traditional Jewish culture, whoever touches the bed or anything a menstruating woman sits on during the week is unclean until evening and must wash his or her clothes and bathe with water (Lev. 15:25-30).

She could not go and be with people, and people could not go and be with her. No one could hold her hand. No one could give her a hug. My daughter loves to come and sit on my lap while I give her a hug. She had not felt this kind of love for at least 12 years.

The text says that the swarm of people was so intense that they almost crush Jesus. She forces herself through the crowd until she is close to Jesus. I imagine that she does not want the crowd to know that, unbeknownst to them, she is rendering them all ceremonially unclean. If they had known, they would all have to wash their clothes, bathe with water, and avoid coming into contact with other people until evening. They would all be furious with her for significantly inconveniencing them.

TWO DAUGHTERS. TWELVE YEARS. BLEEDING. TWO TRAGEDIES.

Why point out these details? Not to be coarse, but to notice what Luke, (the doctor who wrote the Gospel of Luke), is doing here in the text. Often, the Bible is much more earthy and free with the realities of physical life, bodily functions, sex, and intimacy, than we are. Luke, the doctor, is holding up two stories of twelve years, two daughters, bleeding, side-by-side.

This girl has been growing and developing for twelve years to become a woman, to be ready for marriage, to have children, all for it to stop here.

By contrast, for the past twelve years, this other woman has only bled, and bled, and bled. We can imagine that she is probably not married, otherwise her husband would probably be there pleading for her the way Jairus plead for his daughter. But no one was there for her. She is alone.

To have life, in the case of the woman, that is being taken away, that is fading out.

To be able to give life, in the case of the girl, coming of age to give birth, that is being taken away.

OUR OWN ANXIETIES

We can draw parallels between these two accounts and anxieties in our own lives.

Many of us have felt the anguish of something important ripped away from us, like this girl who was being taken away at the beginning of her adult life.

Many of us have felt the anguish of not being able to give, not being able to contribute what others take for granted, like this woman, who was unable to experience life in the same way as those around her.

REACHING OUT TO JESUS IN FAITH

44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

She reached out to touch the tassels on Jesus’ garment. It was as if, in reaching out to touch the tassels on the edge of Jesus’ garment, she was affirming that here was a holy man, and the holy power of God flows through Him. These tassels with a blue cord are a reminder to every male Jew that they are to obey the entire Law of God (Numbers 15:37-41). But Jesus is more powerful than any law could ever be, and Jesus did what no doctor could ever do.

She knew immediately that she was healed. She quickly slips away into the crowd. How do we know this? She has to come back when Jesus calls out to her.

GOD’S QUESTIONS

45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”
46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

Like all God’s questions, this question only makes sense to one person: the person to which it is addressed. When God asks us questions, they may make not sense to anybody else. What we hear, what we need, is personal to us. For us, what we hear is God saying “I am talking to you!” the woman knew that she was no longer hidden, no longer alone.

COMPASSION

Yes, Jesus speaks firmly, but He is not angry. On the contrary, Jesus is extending compassion in at least two ways:

First, there is a difference between brushing up against Jesus like the crowd, and reaching out and actually touching Him in faith, like the woman. Jesus recognizes this difference. Jesus wants to emphasize the faith of the woman, both for her, and for those around Him. It was her faith in his power that healed her.

Secondly, Jesus was not done with the healing process. Jesus was willing to make her feel uncomfortable because he wanted to heal more than just her body. He is about to heal her relationally, emotionally, and spiritually.

“DAUGHTER”

47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter,

This is the only place in the Bible where Jesus calls somebody “daughter.” All three times this account is told: in Matthew 9, Mark 5, and Luke 8, Jesus calls her daughter.

She has no father. So what does Jesus do? He calls her by the name she longed to hear: “daughter.” Perhaps even more than physical healing, she needed to hear from a father, her father. Jesus steps in and does what no one else can. He takes on the role of Jairus in her life. He sees the threat and steps up to shield her from it. In that moment, she is no longer alone. She hears the voice, perhaps for the first time in her life, of a man who is safe, strong, good, and loves her. A father.

Yes, she is clean. Yes, now she can go to the Temple and worship. Yes, now she can brush up against anyone without dirtying them. But this also means so much more. She has a father.

“YOU ARE COMPLETE”

your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

Jesus tells her to go in “shalom.” Shalom, the word translated “peace,” has more to do with wholeness. The image of Shalom is that of a fabric that is intricately woven together. This is much more than the absence of conflict, but completeness. Jesus is saying that she is complete.

If this woman is single, Jesus is saying that she is complete.
If this woman is without children, Jesus is saying that she is complete.
If this woman is in a difficult marriage, Jesus is saying that she is complete and whole.

What made her complete? Whole? Nothing other than reaching out and touching Jesus. She did not need anything else to be complete. Many of us feel incomplete in our lives.

Are you single? Jesus says that you can be complete as you are.
Are you without children? Jesus says that you can be complete as you are.
Are you in a difficult marriage? Jesus is saying that you can be complete even within that difficult circumstance.

We often compare ourselves to others and feel incomplete. It is easy to look at someone else’s circumstance and try to find wholeness in that. But that is not what made this woman whole! Jesus said to her that she was complete, when she reached out to Jesus in faith.

That offer stands for us today as well.

WASHED CLEAN

But, you might say, I have done some evil things. Or, I have had some evil things done to me. I am too broken and dirty to ever be made whole and clean. I may think that I cannot be fixed, that even God does not have the power to fix me. That is simply not true. 1 Corinthians 6:11 says this:

“But you were washed, you were sanctified (set apart as a child of God), you were justified (declared innocent), in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our Lord.”

This word runs deep.

You can be washed clean! You can be set apart as a son or daughter of God! You can be declared innocent! Because of what Christ did for you on the cross.

Jewish Tradition says that anyone who comes into contact with such a woman would be unclean. Jesus reverses this law. Jesus does not become unclean. Rather, when she, an unclean person touches Jesus, she is healed, and she becomes clean. This is how powerful Jesus is.

We too can become clean.

Washed. Washed. Washed. Clean.

“IF ONLY”

49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher any more.”

This is a pivot point in the story. Jesus was too late. In their minds, there was no longer any chance to heal. She died. Maybe if Jesus had not been so irresponsible, delaying to spend time with this other woman along the way, then this tragedy could have been avoided.

It reminds me of the story of Lazarus when Jesus intentionally delayed two extra days (John 11). Lazarus died in the meantime. When Jesus finally arrived, days later, Martha goes out to meet him, ragged from weeping the loss of her brother, and says, “if you had been here, he would not have died.”

If only Jesus had not delayed two extra days, Martha’s brother Lazarus would still be alive.
If only Jesus had not stopped to spend time with this other woman, Jairus’ daughter would not have died.
If only God had moved in my life, then that tragedy would have been avoided. I, or my family, would have been spared the pain.

GOD-BOXES

We all put God in boxes. We are finite. He is infinite. We are limited. He is limitless. For Jairus, it appears that healing was inside the box of what he thought God could do. Raising his daughter from the dead, however, went above the ceiling of what he thought Jesus could do.

Well, Jesus was about to raise the ceiling of what He can do when He raises the girl from the dead!

DOES GOD CARE ABOUT THE DETAILS?

Elsewhere in Scripture (Matt. 10) Jesus says that He cares about the hairs on our head and the birds of the air. In those passages, Jesus lowers the floor of the box of what we think God cares about. Lowers the floor? Does God really care about the details of my life?

Last week, Curtis Seargent, a man who has started churches all over the world, shared the story of driving into an overflowing Walmart parking lot on a Saturday with his wife. Out loud, she asked God to give them a space right next to the door. He looked at her with the “that’s kind of ridiculous” look. You know the look. What happened? As they approached, a car backed out of the first non-handicapped space next to the main entrance. As they pulled in, she looked back at him with the “now do you understand?” look.

God lowered the floor on Curtis’s God-box.

God wants to do both for us here today: God is able to do more than you or I think He can. God is more interested in the small details of our lives than we think He is.

“DON’T BE AFRAID”

50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

Jesus tells us constantly to “not be afraid.” I quickly counted 28 times that the New Testament tells us “do not be afraid.” There may be more. Why? Because fear is our natural reaction. We live in a world dominated by fear. Most angry people are reacting to their fear. So Jesus keeps telling us to “not be afraid!” Have faith!

When he states to the woman “your faith has made you well,” it is the same faith that this man Jairus has. The healing of the woman is almost an advanced warning to Jairus of the power of Christ to act in any situation.

“STOP WAILING,”

51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. 52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” 53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.

Jesus is acknowledging the fact that he is about to perform a temporary resuscitation. He is not raising her from the dead in the same manner as the final resurrection, or in the manner that He would be raised from the dead. Jesus is raising her temporarily. She will then live her life and come to a normal death later on. We know this because she is no longer alive today. This is the same scenario with Lazarus (John 11), and every other resuscitation throughout the Bible. Do not mistake these temporary resuscitations with the resurrection of Jesus or the resurrection at the end of time of those who have put their faith in Jesus as their Savior.

“MY CHILD, GET UP!”

54 But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up.

Jesus, with Jairus and his wife, with Peter James and John, walk into the room where lies the dead body of their daughter. Jesus takes her by the hand, speaks to her, and she comes back to life.

Again, Jewish tradition states that anyone who touches a corpse will become unclean for 7 days (Num. 19:11). Jesus, again, reverses this. Jesus does not become unclean when he touches her dead body. Rather, His touch breathes life into the 12-year-old daughter, and she becomes alive and clean.

Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

In effect, Jesus was saying, don’t get on your phone. Don’t get on your email. Don’t get on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter. Do not turn this into a public spectacle. This is a holy moment for you as a family.

THE RESURRECTION TO COME

Let’s zoom out for a moment. Jesus is pointing to something greater. When Jesus heals, it is a sign that points us to the ultimate healing to come. And here, Jesus is beginning to point to another raising of the dead that is still to come: His own. Just as Jesus raised this girl from the dead, and others, He himself is going to be raised from the dead. But… Jesus resurrection is going to be different. Jesus resurrection is going to be a continuing life, a different body, never to die again. Scripture calls it being “clothed in immortality” (1 Cor. 15; 2 Cor. 4; Rom. 8).

Jesus death is going to be different from the death of this girl. We die because of our sin. Our sin leads to our death. We die because we have sin (Rom. 5). Death is to be separated from God. Eternal life to be joined with God (John 17). Jesus did not die because of His sin. If He did not die for His own sin, then whose sin did He die for? He died for my sin. He died for your sin. He died for the sin of the whole world (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2).

Jesus does it differently. His death is different. When He is on the cross he cries out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” At this point, he bore our sins. He bore the separation from the Father that we deserved. His body shielded us from the threat of destruction.

JESUS IS THE FATHER WHO SHIELDED US

Jesus saw the threat of destruction before us. Just like I picked up my son and daughter to shield them from that dog, Jesus picked us up, and shielded us from the destruction of being eternally separated from God by throwing His body on the cross.

Jesus is doing what no father can ever do. Jesus is the ultimate Father.

And His resurrection is different. Jesus resurrection changes our life today. Even in the darkness of our present circumstances, we have hope.

LOSING ACCESS TO MY MIND

The worst day of my experience with cancer was the day I felt like I was going crazy. I felt weak. I had lost weight and hair. I had been vomiting. I couldn’t eat or drink anything without it coming back up. But there was something worse. When I began taking powerful anti-nausea meds, it messed with my mind. I couldn’t finish sentences. I felt like my vocabulary was behind a series of locked doors in my head. I knew that the information was still there, but I no longer had access to it. I don’t know if this is what the onset of dementia feels like, but it kind of freaked me out. I’d rather vomit all day long than feel like I’m losing access to my mind. I did not tell anyone I was feeling like this for fear that I would add to their worries. (And as a parenthesis, there are people all around this auditorium who, if you feel like this, want to hear it. You will not add to their worries. There is nothing you can tell them that will scare them away. We want to, and need to, walk together).

For me, that night, the valley felt deep and dark, and I did not see any way forward. You know what I am talking about. You know what it feels like to be a deep, dark valley.

At midnight, half-freaking out, half crying “help” to God, and not being able to sleep, I got up, wanting to touch something solid. At about 2am I began watching a documentary about people who live through the Antarctic winter, 4 months of total darkness, on a U.S. base. They begin slowing down. They begin repeating themselves. Their vocabulary simplifies. They begin dreaming simple dreams, like, “I wish I could eat a fresh vegetable.” After four months, the sun comes back. It revives them. They come back to normal.

At that moment I realized that this valley of insanity would not last forever. I realized that there was hope. Romans 6:4 says this:
“For if we have been united with him in a death like this (speaking of our faith uniting us with Him), we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like this.”

Let’s be honest. If Christ does not come back first, this body will eventually fail us. But Scripture says that one day God will resurrection these bodies and for all those who reached out to him in faith, transform them into bodies that never die: “clothed in immortality (1 Cor. 15). One day I will have the same kind of resurrected body that Jesus had, that would never again degrade and decay and die. I will live forever with Him in the new heavens and the new earth. On that day, the day of the resurrection to come, I will experience ultimate healing.

This future reality changes how we live our lives today. We have the promise of the resurrection to come, and the promise that Jesus is our Father today. Romans 8:15 say that since we are children, “we received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba (papa), Father.” Today, we can take the posture of the woman whom Jesus called “daughter.” Today, we can cry out “help!”

Jesus may heal right now. Or, Jesus may say “my grace is sufficient to carry you through it” (2 Cor. 12:7-10). When Jesus heals today, it is a foretaste of the resurrection to come. When He does not heal today, we still have the promise of the resurrection to come.

SANDY

I met Sandy while prayer walking last week. Her father died of cancer. The pain was overwhelming. She reached out to God and asked for healing. Instantly, God healed. He granted Sandy peace and took away her pain. Jesus healed her right away.

THEBIA

I also met Thebia on that prayer walk. She was full of more joy than almost anyone I have ever met. I remarked how her joy seemed to gush out of her. She turned toward me with a huge smile and simply said “it’s all Jesus.” Oh yeah, Thebia is in her early twenties, and she is blind. God’s grace is sufficient for Thebia. Judging by the joy that floods out of her, I imagine she is living a fuller life than most people who can physically see. God’s grace is sufficient to carry Thebia through it with joy.

REACHING OUT TO JESUS

I’d invite you to act on these three responses, asking God to speak to you the way Jesus spoke to this woman.

1) HONESTLY ACKNOWLEDGE MY BROKENNESS

Where have I been bleeding for twelve years? Where are my wounds? What are the things that are draining the life out of me just like this woman? Some of us deal with physical brokenness. Some of us deal with sexual brokenness. Some of us deal with broken relationships: with friends or family or neighbors. Some of us deal with Spiritual brokenness. We know that we are separated from God. Maybe we have never taken that step of reaching out to Jesus in faith. We all have brokenness.

2) REACH OUT TO JESUS IN MY BROKENNESS

Do I desire the kind of wholeness, completeness, that Jesus offered the woman when she said “daughter, your faith has healed you.” At that moment, she became a daughter of God. This is why Christ came to this earth, died, and rose again. So that he can call me son. So that He can call you daughter. So that we can call Him “Papa.” She reached out to Jesus in faith. I would like to invite you to reach out to Jesus, just like this woman did.

We are pro doctor, pro medication, pro counselor, pro community. We realize that God uses all of these natural means to heal and we strongly encourage everyone to explore all of them. And while God may use a doctor or medication to heal me physically, at the core of my being, I may need to hear the words “you are my daughter,” or “you are my son.”

3) HAVE FAITH THAT JESUS CAN HEAL MY BROKENNESS AND FILL ME WITH JOY

Yes we carry scars. But joy is still possible! Not only can Jesus heal physically, but more importantly, when I reach out to Him in faith, He calls me son, He calls me daughter. I am no longer alone. I am loved. I am valued. I am cherished. I become a part of His kingdom.

You may say “I realize that I am broken, but I don’t even know where to start. A good next step could be to check out celebrate recovery. Celebrate Recovery meets on Tuesday nights at 6:30 here at South Fellowship. It is a group of people who come together with their brokenness and grow toward healing through Jesus in community. Contact Nicole Pastore (612) 250-0217 to find out more.

This is a healing space. When we go to Jesus, and bring others to Jesus, we are agents of healing in a broken and hurting world.

PRAYER

If you would like to reach out to Jesus right now, feel free to read the following prayer aloud. Read it to Jesus. He can hear you.

Jesus, just like the bleeding woman, I am broken. I have tried and tried so many things to find healing. I’ve gone every place I can think of, but just like this woman who spent everything on doctors and was left with nothing, today, I am left with nothing.

I come to you because I know you are the one true God. You created the universe. You created this earth. You have more power than I can ever imagine.

You made me in your image. You love me. But I turned away from you. Rather than trusting you, I became self-centered and tried to find my own way. Instead of finding healing, I ended up getting hurt, and hurting people that I love.

In your love for me, you took the punishment that I deserve on the cross. In your love for me, when you died, you died for my sin, not yours. And when you rose again, you conquered my sin, you conquered all of my spiritual enemies, and you even conquered death.

Today I reach out to you to freely admit that I am a sinner, and to ask for your forgiveness for it. I know that you paid for my sin on the cross. I also know that you promise that when I call out for you to save me, that you hear me.

Please forgive my sin. Please come into my life. Please fill me with your Spirit, heal me, and make me into a brand-new person: your daughter.

Thank you for saving me. Thank you for healing me. Thank you for loving me. From this day forward, I am yours. I will obey you rather than trying to find my own way. Whatever you ask of me, I will trust you rather than trust myself or those around me who do not follow you.

I love you Jesus.

Papa

I know that you love me too.

I know that I am your child

– Amen