Have you ever been so wiped out that you feel you can’t go on and you are hanging on by a thread? A thread that is about to break at any time. Please join Rusanne Carole in this week’s podcast as we travel to visit the woman the Bible speaks of in the book of Luke. We chat about pressing in to touch His garment, allowing us to “press in” and “persevere” and get through the many challenges we face in life.
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Welcome everyone to Celebrating God’s Grace, a Women World Leader’s weekly podcast. We welcome you and are so happy you’ve joined us. My name is Rusanne Carole and I’ll be your host today. Today we will chat about look how can we persevere, push through each day even when we may feel broken, exhausted, and barely hanging on!
When you live enough life you realise that life has seasons where the sun shines, life seems like it couldn’t get any better. I think of times of falling in love, having a baby and holding them in your arms for the first time, accomplishing a long fought after goal to name a few. Then we have the hurricanes of life; a diagnosis and a fight to live, constant caring of a loved one and our exhaustion is overwhelming; our whole life given take care of another, the death of a loved one. The dichotomy of life itself. Seasons where it is warm and cozy and seasons where it is bitterly cold and you feel you are walking against the storm with icy water being thrown at your face over and over again.
I recently heard someone say they felt like they were hanging on by a thread, not sure if they could go on anymore. Someone responded, well if you feel you are hanging on by a thread, let it be onto the thread of the hem of the garment of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
It’s easy to love God and enter His presence when life is going well. Oh, worship comes easy. Singing at the top of your lungs, even jumping up and down a bit booging to the rhythm of the holy songs we sing. But have you ever tried to dance when your heart is hurting so badly it feels like its in such pain it may never beat again. And those around you are happy and you wonder, Lord, what’s happening to me. Why? I love you. I serve you. I want You and life is so terribly difficult.
If we are honest I believe we have all felt like this. In our quietest moments all alone when the storm hits we have those thoughts of self pity. Why Lord? Why? We cry out and wait on a response, but there may be complete silence. Waiting. Trying to hear Him.
The consistency of the earth’s seasons is a reflection of its Maker and the steadiness of His character. They come and go with each passing of time. But the seasons of life come with at times uncertainty. We don’t know what each day may bring. Wonderful or challenging. This is where we face the days either with God, seeking Him with all our heart or not. We have a daily choice. It’s not about surrendering, it’s about living surrendered. Every day. At times, every moment of a day where we find ourselves in raging waters.
I’m reminded of the story in the Bible in Luke, Chapter 8, where there was a woman who had been suffering for twelve years. She had a medical issue and had spent all she had on trying to get help and no one could help her. Being her condition was one of haemorrhaging she would have been considered unclean, should have never been out in public.
But she had heard of this Jesus and heard of the miracles He had performed. Someone had said he would be coming to Galiliee. But the crowds were huge and many had been waiting for him to arrive.
Should I go and try to see Him?
Could He, would He see me?
I have heard of the huge crowds that come. I’m not even supposed to be out in public.
But what if I could just get close to Him? What if I could make my way to get close to Him.
I wonder where she was and who she was with when she learned this Jesus was on His way, on His way to her town.
I wonder what the conversation might have been in her head. The thoughts tumbling around.
Should I go? Or should I just stay at home? That would certainly be safer. What would people think? How silly of me to think that this Miracle Worker, this man they say is the Son of God would even notice me?
I wonder how she may of slept at night thinking He is on His way. Will I see Him? Will I be able to receive the healing like so many I have heard of? What was it she was feeling as she prepared and got dressed to go out in the streets to try to see Him?
Verse 44 in the Passion translation says “pressing in through the crowd, she came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of his garment”. The fringe was the corner of the prayer shawl and the tassel was meant to symbolize all of the commandments and promises of God. This woman was laying hold of a promise of healing.
Pressing in. Pressing in.
What does this mean for us to press in?
I believe it means for us to grab hold of the promises of God. They are for each of us. The work Jesus did on the Cross tells us of His love and sacrifice for us. We are healed by the stripes He took as He was beaten on our behalf. When we accept Him as our Saviour we are in Him. We may feel in life’s trials and tribulation, in the center of a storm, that we can’t pick ourselves up to press on and press in to Him. But we can. In His strength. In our minds eye, even when our body is weak. We can picture reaching out to Him and letting His healing balm flow over us.
It is in His presence we find rest.
I invite you to close your eyes if you are somewhere you can.
Take a few breaths and breathe in His love He has just for you.
IN THE ARMS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
In Your Arms Lord
The only place I am truly safe
Your Arms, with scars in the palm of your hands from the nails that pierced them, held You on that Cross where You gave Your life just for me
Your Arms hold me Lord
Always, but especially tight
When I feel alone
When I feel confused
When I am hurting from trouble and tribulation I continually face in this world
Your Arms hold me Lord
As the thorn adorned crown rest upon Your head
Your head on my shoulder
Leaving marks from the dried blood that flowed from the thorns that pierced Your Holy Head
Your Arms hold me Lord
And I hold onto You with all my might
Your Arms hold me Lord
Each day and especially at night
Sometimes the days are easier with the busyness and sounds of the day
It’s when the darkness comes and the moon suddenly appears in the night sky
There is quietness, inwardness, introspectiveness
Sleep, slumber and stillness call us to rest and recharge
Come and hold me Lord
Wrap Your Arms around me
Hold me close
It’s only in Your Arms I want to be
Rock your child to sleep Lord
You are my Rock upon which I stand
But it’s in Your mighty Arms Lord
I find strength to go on
I find the love to have for myself and for others and the security in this temporary world in which I now live
In Your Arms Lord
I always desire to be!
So like the Galileen woman in Luke 8 may we press in and press on. And has she declared so humbly and I picture confidently and with overwhelming joy she declared, “I was desparate to touch you, Jesus, for I knew if I could just touch even the fringe of your garment I would be healed.”
May we know the same. Jesus responded and He responds to us today, “Beloved daughter, your faith in me released your healing. You may go with my peace.”
May we all press into Him, be in His Word daily and get to know Him more and more each day. Amen