Apr. 10, 2008 - How long will I wait?
Mark 5:28 For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I will be made well."
In our Bible Study yesterday we looked at Mark 5:21-43 ... the focus of the lesson was on allowing interruptions to be God-appointments.
And as I am so prone to do, I was focused on the way little picture.
I calculated interruptions yesterday. I wondered how many times I call a friend and would find myself the interrupter ... but
I didn't linger there. I was pretty focused on the notion that we need to be available to serve others as the Lord opens those doors.
But an interesting thing happened while we were there ...
One of the women in the study pointed us toward a humbling perspective ...
wonder what it would be like to allow our circumstance to be interrupted by a God-appointment with the Father himself? How hard it must have been for this woman with an issue of blood for 12 years (12 YEARS!) and all the isolation that would have accompanied that in her culture- to even walk out of her house ... let alone find herself close enough to touch the hem of the garment! And still have the faith to KNOW that if she just reached out her hand, Jesus was all she needed.
I spend days ... and I'm embarrassed to say, weeks and at times months ... wandering around my circumstance ... whatever it is at the time ... too spent to read my Bible ... too depressed to talk to anyone ... too proud to reach out ... and too faithless to cry out Abba, Father ... You are all I need.
I believe those words.
I cousel others to trust Him in that way ... just yesterday, I said as much to a dear friend ...
and the convicting truth in my soul as I tossed sleeplessly last night was that I don't live there. I'm hopelessly found in the midst of chaos(often the chaos of my mind) or awaiting the next storm. I've witnessed "Peace, be still" moments ... and yet I fail to trust Him in the ones that might be on the horizon. Living in fear of what's to come instead of living in joy ... content in my circumstance. Didn't Paul write that little tidbit from prison ...
Lord, help me to dwell in You.