Good Morning.

Continuing on with James 4.3, 'the reason you don't have what you want is that you don't ask God for it'. . . we looked at how God answered the prayer of Jehoshaphat in a mighty way--and I have a couple more powerful lessons on prayer that I want to 'arm' you with. Today's has little to do with what or how you pray, but that you have the faith that God is the answer for what you need, and you look to Him. Have you ever had a time when you just weren't sure what to pray? Most times, our circumstances clearly show what we ought be praying--for healing, comfort, peace, etc. Then, there are those times when it is difficult to tell 'up' from 'down'--difficult to ascertain the will of God, so what then? Let me take you to Mark 5, (also Luke 8 and Matthew 9)--for the story of a desperate woman. I love this story because it is so simple. What the woman did, anyone could do. Here's the scene: this woman has been sick and has used up her money on doctors, and they had not cured her. The King James Version describes her as having 'an issue of blood', which means she has been hemorrhaging, and it has been going on for twelve years! In first-century Jewish culture, she was an outcast--she was unclean, and she couldn't participate in ceremonial cleansing to get clean. She could not go to the temple, and no one could touch her or they too would be unclean. She was lonely and beaten down. She hears that Jesus is coming to town, and tries to get to Him so He can heal her. As usual, the crowds are pressing around Him, plus the disciples surround Him too; desperate, she reaches out to just touch the hem of His garment as He passes by. He stops, turns around and asks 'who touched me?' His men say, 'Lord, look around you--lots of people touched You.' 'No, I felt the power leave My body.' You see, when Jesus performed miracles, He felt the power pass out of His body--He was fully aware that healing was taking place. 'Who touched Me?'

The woman answers, 'I did--I touched You.' She must have thought He was going to shame her then, that she should be so bold. . . but no, not Jesus. He looks at her, probably like no one had looked at her in a long time, and says, 'Woman, your faith has made you whole.'

There have been times in my life when I wasn't sure what to pray. . . yeah, I wanted God's will, but what was it? Then this story came alive for me. I utter one word in prayer, "Jesus," and picture myself reaching out to touch the hem of His garment. I knew He could make me whole.

In the last six years or so, as I've taught this powerful story, I would bring a muslin curtain for people to cut a little piece of fabric that might have been similar to the fabric of Jesus' garment. It was something tangible to represent their faith, His power. . . folks have recounted stories of desperate times and how they pictured themselves reaching out for Jesus. . . Then, one time I was asked to go to Children's Hospital to pray with a nine-year-old boy who had a cancerous kidney that had to be removed. I had to get a 'hem of Jesus' garment into this little guy's hands, and tell him the story! I fashioned a little cape made out of my familiar muslin, put it on the back of a soft stuffed animal, and told Daniel the story. He got it. He told the nurses, he told all of his family--he had the hem of Jesus' garment, and he had faith that Jesus would heal him. Powerful.

Since then, I fashioned this little lamb pictured here--she has the hem of Jesus' garment on her back, with a scroll tucked in that tells the story. . . the story of a woman who needed a touch from God. . . who reached out to Jesus. . . and Jesus' was enough. Hundreds of these lambs have gone out to people--to widows, to widowers, to those who needed hope, and had a little faith. . . women who had a friend just diagnosed with breast cancer. . . high school students who needed hope that they could get sober. . .

I just love the visual, tangible nature of the desperate cry of this woman's heart. It was her prayer.

Reach out and touch Him today. . .

He'll reach back,

Christine

I'm not a salesman, but I see these little lambs as a way

of spreading the love of Christ--they have gone where a

Bible could not go. . . if you want one, I have some left--

$20 including shipping.