ave you ever been in a season of life where everything just felt like too much? Too much to carry, too much to deal with? Well praise God for Jesus, because I’m certain we all have been. Through the blood of Christ we have hope and a future. We can come into the presence of God with whatever we’re carrying, and lay it at His feet.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:29-30 that all who are weary and burdened can come onto Him and He will give them rest. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. The weight of what you carry gets heavier the longer you choose to hold on to it. But when you let go, and let God come in, He removes those heavy burdens.
The Bible isn’t just a book you read, but it's a book that reads you. Do you want some self-development? Take a look at the book of Proverbs and Psalms. Even looking at the life of David, there’s so much to learn and have hope in for our own lives.
Now I know the parents out there can relate to this one. Sometimes in the most mundane, uneventful moments, you look at your kid and can’t help but to appreciate them for who they are. Without performing, without winning, without doing anything special, that’s your son or daughter. You enjoy them simply because they are yours.
In the same way, that’s how our Heavenly Father looks at us. When Jesus was baptized and Heaven opened, the Spirit of God came like a dove and rested upon Him. Then a voice from Heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17). Before Jesus ever healed anyone, raised anyone from the dead, or performed any miraculous miracle, His Father was well pleased with Him. We too get to share in that inheritance of being children of God, belonging to Him.
It matters not only how the Father looks at us, but how we look at the Father. Matthew 1:23 talks about Sarah giving birth to a son who they will call him “Immanuel”, meaning “God with us”. We have to see Him and trust Him as God who is with us.
Have you ever gone to a restaurant with someone who already made reservations, or who already spoke with the hostess so all you had to do was walk in? They ask you “How many?” or say “Sorry, the wait is 45 minutes”. But you’ve come with someone who has already gone before you and has paved the way, so you just point them out and head on back. Who you’re with matters. Who you’re with gives you access to areas you wouldn’t have access to otherwise. They tell the story so you don’t have to. It’s the same way when we say ”I’m with Jesus”. Jesus gives us access to faith by grace (Romans 5:1-2). He gives us access to forgiveness, healing, deliverance, and so much more.
If you look at the story about the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8, she was alone and afraid. Her shame was that she was unclean. She had been cut off from life, made an outcast. No one cared to know her name, rather she was known by her problem. She was held captive by this crippling disease, she knew that if she could just get close to Jesus, her life could change.
Maybe you’ve dealt with a problem for a long time, had an addiction, or something that’s affected your entire life. But if you could just get to church and be in the presence of the Lord, you know everything could change.
This woman needed an identity change. She was desperate and knew that Jesus was the one that could heal her. She no longer cared about the social laws in her time, she just knew she had to get to Jesus. Amongst a large crowd, out of eagerness, she reached for a piece of Jesus’ garment, specifically the tassels. It was the very part of His garment that identified Him as a Jew. She grabbed hold of that identity because she encountered her Redeemer.
Just as she didn’t wait for Jesus to touch her, we don’t have to wait to receive a touch from the Lord either. So come to church into His presence to touch Him. Don’t wait for the elders and prayer partners nor the service itself, but go see God right now.
When Jesus asked who touched Him, the Bible says all denied it. But because of the power He knew went out from Him and the woman knowing what she did - in that moment, they were the only two that knew of the healing that just took place. Fearfully she came forward, trembling at His feet. She tells Him what she did and Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go now in peace” (Luke 8:48). We all have issues and we all have a past. But even the dirty tassels that drug on the ground from Jesus’ garment was enough to make this woman clean and whole.
Your wholeness is on the other side of saying “It was me!” I was delivered. I was healed. I was set free. I was made whole. I was changed. Receive a touch from the Lord and let Him redefine you. Rediscover who you are and whose you are and let others know. It was me. I’m with Jesus!
