She stood at the edge of the massive crowd forming around special speaker, Jeremiah Haywood. The CEO of Mitchell Enterprises was the most requested speaker in the business world. Why? He climbed the corporate ladder within a short timeframe. His secret? No one really knew, but she needed to get close to him. Glean anything she could.

It had been twelve years since she lost her dream job. All because of a stupid comma in the wrong place. Now she couldn’t find the right position. Interview after interview only landed her in second place—every time. And working at odd jobs here and there just wasn’t cutting it any longer.

If only I could touch him. His success might rub off on me.

The woman chuckled at the thought and shrugged. What did she have to lose? Maybe he would whisper his secret to her.

She inched closer and nudged her way through the unemployed men and women at the business networking conference. With a few quick turns through the people maze, she stood within an arm’s reach of the man. His suit jacket shimmered in the light and she wondered what type of fabric it was. Reaching toward him, she touched the edge of the soft coat.

A jolt surged through her body and she jumped back.

What was that?

She turned to leave before anyone noticed, but his deep voice caused her to stop.

“Who touched me?”

One of his bodyguards chuckled. “Look at the crowd. How can you ask that question?”

“I felt it.”

Caught. There was no getting away, so she might as well confess. “I did, Sir. I’m sorry.”

Jeremiah turned, eyes softening. “Did you have a question?”

“What’s your secret of success?”

He smiled, bent over, and whispered in her ear.

Do you remember the story of the woman suffering from years of bleeding? She has always amazed me. She took a giant leap of faith when she reached for Jesus’ cloak, believing in what would happen next. Let’s look at this story.

Frustrating circumstances. This woman had been suffering from twelve years of bleeding. Twelve years! She must have been so frustrated going from doctor to doctor seeking help but without success. I’m sure she was probably ready to give up. Maybe she had. Her condition even got worse. I remember a period of time when my husband was suffering in pain and we couldn’t figure out why. It wasn’t going away and after numerous trips to the hospital, we still didn’t know the problem. Frustration definitely set in, so we can relate. I’m sure we all can. How do we handle these times? Do we get angry and blow up? Or, do we do what this lady did? Keep reading.

She threw off her inhibitions and took a leap of faith. This woman heard about Jesus and His healing, so she probably thought, “Why not? I’ve tried everything else. What would it hurt?” Picture a large crowd gathering in a square. Everyone is squeezing in trying to get a closer look of this man—the one known for healing. She didn’t care what others thought or who was in her way. After nudging her way closer, she took a leap of faith, reached out, and touched his cloak. Do we take steps like she did? Or do we crawl back into our hole and sulk? It’s time to take that leap of faith. Are we holding back from doing what God has called us to do?

Power of His touch. Immediately after touching His cloak, she stopped bleeding. That’s what I call a divine zap of power! Can you imagine the surge she probably felt as healing filled her body like a dam releasing? Wow. Then, she hoped to get away unnoticed, but Jesus knew power had left Him. He asked who touched Him. She could have remained silent, but she didn’t. She confessed and He freed her from suffering. How cool is that?

This woman had a burning desire to be freed from her shackles of pain. Her blind faith caused her to reach out to the only one she knew would help—Jesus. Did she know what would happen when she touched Him? I believe she did. Why else would she have taken such a risk? I’m sure in those days women bleeding were shunned upon. Left as outcasts. She emerged from her place of hiding and took a giant leap of faith.

Do we forget about stories such as these, retreat to our black hole, and believe nothing will help? If God could perform miracles in these times, don’t you think He can today? I do.

Your miracle may not be one of healing. It may be waiting for that special someone to come into your life. Or that perfect job you just can’t seem to find. Big or small—whatever it is, know one thing…

Reach out with blind faith and wait to be ZAPPED!

Mark 5:32-34 (NIV)

³² But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. ³³ Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. ³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

He Saw It All (written by Daryl Mosley, performed by The Booth Brothers)

This is my favorite song on healing. With just one touch…and you’ll never be the same!