How Will You Outstretch Your Arm?

Nov 4

I knew she was there. I know where you are. Do you think I don’t see you and that I don’t care? Do you think I am numb to your pain? Your healing is what I am after. Your healing is why I came. I want all of you, all of your heart, all of your mind. I have created you whole, and I will make you whole again. I promise.

‘“Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace’” (Luke 8: 48).

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Do you believe Jesus desires to heal you? Do you believe your wholeness matters to Him? How desperate are you for His healing? Do you want it? What are you willing to do for it, or are you good on your own?

Let’s retreat to a quiet place now and seek Jesus’ face. Let’s spend time with Him, asking Him to discern our hearts. For how do we know what we know or what we feel–how do we know what is true–without deferring to Him?

The pressure is off, dear one.

So, in a place of relative quiet–inside or outside where you feel comfortable and safe–let your heart settle. Let it find its way to Home. What might help is taking deep breaths, inviting God in, and giving Him all you carry now.

Deep inhale: Father, I need you.

Complete exhale: (Be aware of His presence with you.)

Deep inhale: I give you my whole heart now.

Deep exhale: (Picture yourself giving to Him all your worries, your thoughts, your ideas, your concerns….one by one.)

Deep inhale…(Stay here, centering yourself on His presence, for He is here with you…)

Complete exhale……

Next, consider what the word “healing” means to you. On a page in your journal, use words or a drawing (or both) to communicate what your heart defines as being “healed.”

What does being healed look like physically? What about mentally and emotionally?
Also, what does a healed life look like?

After reflecting on your definitions of healing, let’s transition to engaging with God about what His definition of healing is.

Father, how do you define healing? Use your journal to help you keep track of the conversation between you both.

Spend 15 minutes contemplating the following story from Luke, chapter 8, reading the passage a number of times.

The first time you read it, try to absorb the setting–the people and the general scene. What is happening? Who is involved? What emotions are people feeling?

On a second reading, allow yourself to be present in the scene. Either be an observer right in the middle of the action–or give yourself a bird’s eye view and notice the smells and sights, the noises and expressions of everyone there.

On a third reading, keep your attention on the woman who has been bleeding for twelve years. Adopt her posture, mindset, motivation, and desire–consider her intention, tenacity, and focus in this scene.

Each time you read, engage with God–or with Jesus or Holy Spirit–sharing with Him your reactions and observations. Consider writing to God about–or drawing a picture of–the scene.

“Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.

As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

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. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace’” (Luke 8:40-49).

As you engage with God about this scene, consider these questions:

What is God drawing your attention to in this scene? What is your heart’s response to the woman who was bleeding? What questions do you have?
Jesus, when I witnessed the woman bleeding, I felt….
When I saw her reaching out to You, I felt…
How do you feel about Jesus healing her? What do you think about what Jesus said to her when He felt His healing power going out?

Jesus, when you healed here, I wondered/I felt/I noticed…..

Remember, Holy Spirit has been leading you through this exercise as you’ve read and let your heart engage. Imagine that Holy Spirit read those verses in Luke aloud to you–and now that you have spent time contemplating them, consider what He is teaching you.

Specifically, how is Jesus inviting you to reach out your hand and be healed? Look at what you wrote down at the beginning of this exercise regarding how you felt you needed to be healed. After reading about Jesus’ interaction with healing the bleeding woman–specifically her pursuit of His healing–how do you now feel about your desire for healing? How is it similar or different from the woman’s desire to be healed?
Imagine yourself in the scene–where you are the woman desperately seeking Jesus so she can be healed. What is He inviting you to do? What does that invitation look like, practically and specifically, in your life?
Continue to engage with God about his invitation to you to be healed. Write down in your journal what it looks like for you to reach out to Jesus right now with your outstretched hand.

Finally, you might feel inclined to stay here, in this space, with Jesus, allowing your heart space to worship Him. Below are some song suggestions.

Bless you, dear one.