Your Faith Has Made You Well
by Ron Scurfield
Jesus is approaching. I’ve heard so much about Him, about how compassionate He is, how He mingles with lepers, and how He gives sight to the blind. There’s a crowd around Him as He slowly draws nearer. Is He coming my way? A wave of excitement grips my heart. I wonder if I can get close to Him. My condition does not allow me to mingle with people, but perhaps ...
He’s about to pass by. If I slip in behind Him some of His love might fall upon me. Even thinking of His name fills me with hope. He stops again. There’s a gap in the crowd. He might never pass this way again. I reach out my hand and touch Him. “Jesus.” Then I shrink back.
He turns His head towards me. My heart is in my mouth. Is He angry with me? “Who touched me?” I cower in shame as He looks into my eyes. Such love ... I fall at His feet. Suddenly I feel new. I feel clean. I lift my head and look into His gentle, loving eyes. “Forgive me,” I mumble, almost ashamed, but not quite. “I believe You’ve healed my body.” Tears are trickling down my face.
He smiles, His eyes sparkling with compassion. “Go in peace, my daughter. Your faith has made you well.” “Thank You. Thank you.” Suddenly I feel alive again, thankfulness and gratitude are welling up within me. For the first time in years, I feel clean.
Ever since she had heard His name hope began to stir in her feeble body. The hope of a new life beckoned. She began asking questions. Who is this man? Where has He come from? She was hungry to know more. And the more she learned, the more she believed. A man sent by God? He could cleanse her body. He could change her life. If only …
We’ve heard His name. We know more about Him than this woman could ever know. She carried a hope of what might happen if she were to meet Him, personally. This was beyond her wildest dreams. But we have His promises continually before us. Yet we stumble on, trying to prove ourselves before others, or even before Him. Where is our hope? Where is our excitement at the prospect of meeting Him?
His promises are within our grasp: “Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” This is for me. This is for you. “All who come to me I will never turn away.” He’s longing for us to draw close to Him. “I have come that you may have life.”
Let us live as if this was true, not just for others but for ourselves. Because it is true. He’s waiting for us to take hold of all He is offering, so that we can know the truth, which will set us free. ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him’ (1 Corinthians 2:9, BSB).
Ron Scurfield with his wife Jill, are part of the Associate Ministry Team at Ellel Grange and occasionally Ellel Scotland. Ron enjoys walking and writing and meeting interesting people, but his greatest joy is seeing God transform lives, setting people free to live the abundant life that Jesus intended.
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