I’ve been reflecting the story in Mark 5, the woman who endured twelve years of suffering, disappointment and closed doors. When she heard Jesus was passing through, something inside her said, this is it. She pushed through the masses, risked the shame, broke social code, and reached for the hem of His cloak. She believed, not in theory, not just in her head, but in motion. Her faith was so compelling it motivated her to chase him!
Every time I read this story, it challenges the level of my faith. What good is a well-ordered life if our faith has gone sedentary? If our belief in Jesus no longer pulls us forward, presses us through the crowd, or makes us desperate to get near Him?
James puts it plainly, and it hits close to home. “You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives…” (James 4:2–3, NIV). Sometimes we’re empty simply because we’ve stopped asking. Or we’re asking, but without full belief, or asking for things that have little to do with God’s heart. A compelling faith asks boldly and expects Him, not just His answers. James 1:6 says “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” The woman in Mark 5 didn’t have a backup plan. Her faith wasn’t polite or calculated. It was raw. She believed and because of that, she moved.
So how do we grow in that kind of faith? How do we cultivate a belief that leads to motion? Start here:
The woman in Mark 5 didn’t just believe in healing. She believed in Jesus. And that belief made her move. That’s compelling faith.
Let’s not settle for belief that stays still. Let’s go after Him like we need Him for this very day! Because we do.
