Many of us Jesus-loving women strive to be like the Proverbs 31 woman: hard working, a great wife and mother, shrewd, helpful, and God-fearing. But today I prayed that God would also make me more like the Luke 8 woman. You know, the one who bled for 12 years? Sometimes we skim over her story, amazed at Jesus’ healing power, but never really stopping to see how this woman honored God. I think if we take a little more time to read her story, we might be inspired enough to want to be like her, too.
On the tail-end of Luke 8, Jesus is walking through a large crowd of people to see about a sick girl. It is loud and sweaty-pushing and shoving on all sides to see this man of God. And all of a sudden, Jesus stops. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. “Well, everyone did,” was Peter’s helpful reply. Then from the middle of the crowd, a woman steps forward and falls to her knees before Him. In front of everyone, she explains that she has been bleeding for years and now she is healed. Jesus tells her that her faith has healed her and that she can go in peace. The crowd moves on-we never see the woman again. So what is so special about her?
In verse 23, it says this woman has suffered with constant bleeding for 12 years, and could find no cure. Instantly, all women know this sounds horrific. Our cycles are hellish enough, but 12 years of it?! The ESV says, “…and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone.” Think about this for a moment: that means she had 12 years of bleeding, 12 years of doctors with no cure, 12 years of using all her money on treatments that didn’t work, 12 years of probably being told that perhaps God was punishing her…12 years of praying.
And yet she still had hope.
She still believed that if she could even graze a finger across a thread in Jesus’ robe, she could be healed. This woman has faith!
She fiercely held onto hope and still trusted that God could heal her—even after all that time! And with the tenderness of a father, Jesus said to her, “Daughter..”—pause for a moment. What do good fathers do? They are there for their children when they struggle. They listen. They kiss scraped up knees. When Jesus calls her daughter, I imagine He was calling her that with a very intimate awareness of her struggle. After all, He is sovereign over every cell in her body. He had heard every prayer. He had seen every tear fall. He knew well what she had been through.
“Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” What refreshing words to her soul! There is promise in what He said to her! She can have peace because He healed her permanently! Her trial was over-financial stability could become reality-she could enjoy normal activities once again-and catch this…she was ceremonially clean.
In Leviticus 15, God explains that a woman on her menstrual cycle was unclean. She was basically untouchable and until her bleeding had stopped, she could not come into the tabernacle. So when Jesus instantaneously healed this woman of her bleeding, it meant that not only was her suffering over, but she could enter the Temple again.
What a beautiful image of salvation. She had tried everything to heal herself and make herself clean. But Jesus was the one who healed her and made her clean and she could come into the presence of God again. This is what He did for us on the cross!
I do not ask God for the kind of suffering this woman endured. But I do ask Him to grow my faith so that when I do face trials, He will find me faithful as this woman was faithful. I pray that I fiercely hold onto hope the way that she did.
I have friends dealing with cancer and mysterious illnesses. I have family that have not ceased praying for God to bring them to the place He has promised them. And though the struggle is difficult and the road seems long, all of these people consistently show great faith in the Lord!
Whatever your struggle, whatever your prayers, I hope you find encouragement from this woman. Maybe God will answer you today or 30 years from now, but no matter what, He is good. He is worthy of praise. He is loving. He is faithful when we are not.
Fiercely hold onto hope. Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. I pray you will be found faithful—that God would smile at you and say, “Daughter, well done! You are a good and faithful servant!”
For the King and the Kingdom,
Arianna
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