Psalm 91:4-6
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be our shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
Sickness was not a fear of mine until I became a mom. Nothing will send a chill down my spine like the words “stomach virus”. One of the hardest things I have done was care for a three-year-old and a nursing baby while we all three had a stomach virus. Oh, and Matt was out of town. There are few terrors like the terror of a stomach bug wrecking your house and your plans. We had a few terrible days, but it was a short-term alignment that we all fully recovered from.
I have been very fortunate to have never had a long-term health issue. However, five years ago I began to have problems similar to the woman in Luke chapter eight. Thankfully, my health issue was treated after several months, and I experienced a full recovery. It was during those months of waiting for a cure that gave me more compassion and understanding for the woman seeking healing from Jesus. In Luke 8:40-48, a woman had been hemorrhaging for twelve years. Though she sought medical treatment, she was never cured, and her issue became worse. As a Jewish woman under Levitical law, this health crisis was also a social crisis. She was considered unclean and could not worship or socialize in her community.
If you have ever suffered from a long-term health issue, you know the pain is more than physical. It affects every part of your life. It can drain your finances as you seek medical treatment or are unable to work. It can cause depression and anxiety feeling isolated from your “normal” life of friends and family. All this physical, mental, and emotional pain can affect you spiritually as well. You may not have the energy or physical ability to attend weekly worship at your church and be a part of small groups, the pain can cloud your ability to find comfort in God’s Word, and it can feel like God is distant and detached from your struggle. Our faith can become weakened and shrink down to almost nothing.
This story of healing the hemorrhaging woman is a testimony to what Jesus can do with weakened faith. The woman was risking a lot by going to see Jesus who was surrounded by a large mass of people. She snuck into the crowd with an almost superstitious hope to touch the hem of his clothes. She had a small glimmer of faith that if by simply touching Him, she could experience the healing she had heard He was capable of. It was a mere ounce of faith that led her to Jesus’ feet, and it was at His feet that she received instant and completed healing.
Unfortunately, sickness is a part of life on this earth. Sometimes it’s a fast and furious 24-hour stomach bug, sometimes it’s a month’s long battle with cancer, and sometimes it is a life long physical affliction that doesn’t receive healing on this side of heaven. Even though this is our reality, it is not something we have to fear. Sickness may weaken us in every possible way, but all we must do is come to the feet of Jesus. In our weakest moments, He provides for all our needs. It is at His feet we find refuge from all the pain we experience on earth.
Paul shared his own experience with this in 2 Corinthians as he explained that he asked for relief from “a thorn in his flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:6-7). We don’t know what this was, but we know it tormented him and he specifically asked three times for it to be removed (2 Corinthians 12:8). God’s response to Paul was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
It is in weakness that we recognize our need for God. It can be in times of sickness, doubt, and pain that we experience the love, faithfulness, and protection of God our Father. Therefore, do not fear sickness. Rather trust that God will be everything you need when moments of weakness and trails come. Just like Paul, we can rest and say, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).