SCRIPTURE:
24 Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him. 25 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. 26 She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. 28 For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.
30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”
31 His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”
32 But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
Mark 5:24-34
OBSERVATION:
There is power in intentionality. Intentionality––doing something on purpose, with purpose, and for a purpose. Choosing to do something rather than letting chance be your guide. Doing something by design rather than happenstance. When you approach Jesus with intentionality, He notices.
In Mark 5, we learn about a woman who suffered from constant bleeding. The Bible tells us that she bled for 12 years straight. This was a chronic and constant issue. Mark also takes the time to tell us that she tried getting help on this issue many times to no avail. “She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse” (Mark 5:26). She wasn’t helpless; she was desperate. And she had every reason to just give up. But she didn’t. She heard this man who had the power to heal anything, so she went out, despite the crowds, to reach out and touch Jesus with the faith of being healed, “for she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed” (Mark 5:28). And she did. When she touched Him, “immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition” (Mark 5:29).
The woman sought out Jesus with intentionality. She knew who He was, what He could do, and sought Him out because of it. And the most remarkable part of this story? Jesus notices. Even His disciples are in awe of the fact that He knew because there were so many people around. “30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?” 31 His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” (Mark 5:30-31).
And herein lies the difference. Many people brushed up against Jesus, many touched Jesus, but only one reached out with intentionality––with a specific purpose backed up by a great faith. Her intentionality caught the attention of Jesus amidst a crowd of many, so much so that “he kept on looking around to see who had done it” (Mark 5:30-32). And because she did, she was healed. Her faith––fueled by intentionality––made her well, for there is power in intentionality.
APPLICATION:
Are you brushing up to Jesus or are you reaching out to Him? Do you want to simply see Him or do you desire to know Him? Are you just around Him or are you seeking a relationship with Him?
The harsh-but-true reality is that we can be around Jesus our whole lives yet never truly know Him because we have not pursued Him with intentionality. Just because you’re a Christian doesn’t mean you’ve pursued Him, and just because you know about God’s power doesn’t mean you’ve experienced it for yourself. Without intentionality, you’ll still be saved. The bar for salvation is extremely low. All you have to do is “declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead” to be saved (Romans 10:9). However, if you want to be His disciple––someone who is growing in Christ, becoming more like Christ, and making a difference for Christ––you will need to live with intentionality. As Jesus says in Matthew 16:24, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” You must live with intentionality.
Don’t settle for simply seeing Jesus; live with intentionality. Pursue a relationship with Him. Reach out and touch Him. When you live with intentionality, you will experience the power of God in your life. As God Himself promises you in Jeremiah 29:12-13, “12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” God is not a distant deity; He is a personal Savior. He desires for you to experience the fullness of His love, His power, and His glory. Discover the fullness of God through the power of intentionality. For when you do, just the woman in Mark 5, you will catch His attention and see His goodness in your life.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus,
Thank You that You are a personal God who desires to love us, be with us, and show us Your goodness. Today, I choose to seek You with intentionality. Show me Your power, Your goodness, and Your glory in my life, and make me the person You want me to be. My life is Yours. I love You, Lord. Thank You for loving me.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
