Immediately!

Jesus went with him (a synagogue official named Jairus), and all the people followed, crowding around him. A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. For she thought to herself, "If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed." Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition. Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my robe?" His disciples said to him, "Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, 'Who touched me?'" But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over." Mark 5:24-34

In the Old Testament there are many uses of the word Immediately! People responded…immediately.

          -  When Moses went up Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments the second time. Moses immediately threw himself to the ground and worshiped. Exodus 34:8

-           -  When Elijah challenged Ahab on Mount Carmel. Immediately the fire of the LORD flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! 1 Kings 18:38

-          - Words from king Nebuchadnezzar when Daniel and the other Israelites young men refused to bow down when the king of Babylon ordered them to worship his statue.  I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?" Daniel 3:15

Things don’t always happen slowly with God—but immediately. With His word…He created heaven and earth.

Your suffering is over…immediately. The crowd was pressing in around Jesus again. It seems wherever He went, there were crowds—and they just didn’t give Him any room. But this lady found a way to get to Him…just to touch the hem of His robe or the hem of the Jewish prayer shawl, tallit, where the fringe tassels were.

God Himself gave instructions for tassels.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: Throughout the generations to come you must make tassels for the hems of your clothing and attach them with a blue cord. When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of the LORD instead of following your own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do. The tassels will help you remember that you must obey all my commands and be holy to your God. I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt that I might be your God. I am the LORD your God!" Numbers 15:37-41

The tassel on Jesus’ prayer shawl is likely what this woman touched. There is power in prayer.  

Like Elijah...looking for clouds near Mount Carmel in Israel.

There is power in prayer. Do you believe that there is power in prayer even now?

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops. James 5:16-18

There is power in prayer now…not just in Elijah’s or Jesus’ time.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Begin your prayer time with Jesus by telling Him that you love Him…and believe in Him…and in the power of prayer. We are told that Jesus Himself intercedes with the Heavenly Father in prayer for us.

Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. Hebrews 7:25

Prayer ~ Lord Jesus, You are the source of hope and healing…for that woman who touched the hem of Your robe or shawl…and for each of us. Continue to intercede for us. There are many who need Your healing touch…physically, emotionally, and spiritually. In and for Your mercy…we praise You.

Daily Bible Reading: Psalms 89, 96,100-101, 105, 132

© 2018 Text and photo by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Follow And Like "Banquet With The King" on Facebook. 👍