If Only I Could Touch His Cloak

Imagine yourself, with all your ailments (should you have any), reaching out a desperate hand - in faith - and touching a cloak. Suddenly, your ailments are healed. You're good as new. Everything is well. There is no more depression, anxiety, or other mental illness. There is no more cancer, diabetes, or other physical illness.

In the 5th chapter of Mark, we see this happen to a woman who's been suffering for years. With an incredibly strong faith in Jesus and his healing ability, she reaches out, knowing one touch will cure her. And he does.

This story, like many others within the pages of the Bible, is often used to convey the message that if you have enough faith, God will heal you. The other side to this lesson - if you're not healed, you obviously do not have enough faith. This is what I was taught growing up. Or, part of it anyway. There were two lessons actually encompassing why one is not healed:
1) If you're not healed, you do not have enough faith (and/or you're not praying hard enough); or
2) If you're not healed, you have not repented for your sin (and/or you're continuing in sin).

There is such a devastating, destructive danger to this false teaching. If you have faith... if you fall to your knees consistently in fervent prayer... if you try to live a life obedient to God... and repent regularly... but the illness continues... obviously you're not doing enough, or not doing it well enough, or just don't have enough faith. You walk away in shame and sorrow, feeling unworthy.

But, no where in the Bible does God say that if we have enough faith, he will always heal us... at least, not in this life. Our healing will come - but not necessarily during our time in the here and now.

No where in the Bible does it say that God's power of healing is limited to our faith. Nor can we manipulate God into healing through our faith.

If you're suffering, and you've prayed and prayed and begged God, and wished you could just reach out and touch the cloak of Jesus in faith - and still you suffer, do not despair. Do not allow yourself to feel you lack faith or are too great a sinner. God heals and does not heal as He sees fit, holding to the promise that one day we will all be healed.

Instead, turn to God and pray for comfort and peace, secure in the knowledge that one day true healing will be done - not because of the amount of faith you have, but because of the amount of love He has.

God bless