On hard and disappointing days, remember the woman in Mark 5. Let her inspire you to push through the crowd of sad thoughts in your life. Stretch out your hand to Christ.
Watch Joni's video on faith here.
SHAUNA: I’m Shauna, with Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a story about faith. Here’s Joni with a special word.
JONI: Oh, Shauna, I’ve got a great story about faith. It’s in Mark 5, and it’s the story about the hemorrhaging woman who reached out to Jesus. She pushed through the crowd, she shot out her arm, desperate, hoping to touch even the hem of Christ’s robe. Now, I love picturing it that way. Because [although my affliction is different than hers] I still see myself as that woman. Reaching out to Jesus, hungering for his help, his word, his nearness; knowing he’s the answer to my need [oh, please, Jesus, you’re the only one I can turn to]. To me, that’s a picture of faith. The kind of faith that’s just as needy as the bleeding woman in the gospel account. Or the lady in the wheelchair with a scruffy voice.
And I know that when I reach out to Jesus, it’s an exercise in genuine faith. My faith tells me that Jesus can actually do something about my plight; he can help me with my physical problems, just as he did with the one who had the issue of blood. Now, Jesus may not heal me [like he did her], but he gives me grace to sit in my wheelchair and smile. And to me, that is amazing grace. For instance, when I have traveled to places in Africa, and when I have seen impoverished people who have disabilities, living with paralysis, having nearly nothing and yet they’ve got joy. They know Jesus. He is everything to them. And their smile proves it. To me, these are the people of great faith, like it says in James 2:5, “…has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith?”
Now, you don’t have to live in Africa to be rich in faith. No matter where you live, you just need to know that Jesus Christ is the answer to your every need. Biblical faith is your empty hand reaching out to him, believing he’s your all in all, that he’s the center of your universe and absolutely everything in your life orbits around him. Faith is knowing that without him, you can do nothing. You are nothing. You have nothing [a little like those disabled over in Africa].
On hard and disappointing days when I have no energy to move forward into life; when I feel deflated or am toying with doubt or wish that my voice sounded better. I remember the woman in Mark 5. Because she inspires me. And so, I push through the crowd of my sad thoughts. I stretch out my empty hand [as it were] and with my heart, I lay hold of Christ – doing that pleases him. He is so pleased in fact that I sometimes find he sends more troubles so that my faith can be strengthened. It doesn’t say much about my faith if I can only trust God when things are easy. But when I choose to trust him while lying on a sickbed for weeks, it proves that my faith is genuine. If we can but hold fast to Jesus when life hurts, it shows an unbelieving world that we think he is worth it. That we value Christ supremely above our pain and discomfort. This is why our faith has the capacity to please God, because it’s the vehicle through which his son, Jesus, receives applause and honor, fame and glory.
You know, if you’d like to hear more on this topic, visit joniradio.org where I’ve posted a video in which I share more about faith – the kind of faith that’s sturdy, and robust, unwavering. The kind of faith that says with Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.”
SHAUNA: That’s such a great verse Joni. And friend, I know you’ll be inspired by this video at joniradio.org where we share not only hope, but faith through every hardship.
© Joni and Friends