#DevotionsWithTee: Are You Gonna Bounce or Believe?

Luke 8 – Luke 8 is a combination of stories. We go from Jesus casting out demons, to teaching a parable, Then Jesus calming the storm, Then casting out demon again, Then we meet a man named Jairus whose daughter is sick, and we meet a woman with an issue of blood.

The last 2 are the two we are going to focus on. From Luke 8:41 through to 56. Please go and read it afterwards because I will only be picking out particular verses to make my points.

First the woman with the issue of blood. In a nutshell:

• An issue of blood is basically her menstrual cycle/period
• It had been going on for 12 years  
• By this point she’d spent all her moneys and used all her time going to doctors for a cure, but none could come up with one
• In Mark 5 (where this story is also told) vs 28, we are given a depiction of her faith. She says “If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole”
• Back to Luke 8 and vs 42 we are told that the crowds that had gathered “thronged Jesus” meaning they were pushing against Him and surrounding Him because obviously everybody wanted a miracle
• This woman with the issue pushed herself through the hustle and bustle and touched Jesus garment
• Jesus exclaimed who touched me which people found bewildering because he was literally immersed in a crowd but what’s funny is I know that Jesus knew who touched Him because when she finally came forward in vs 48 He tells the woman that it was her faith that made her whole

Like this woman, many of us have problems we have been dealing with for a long time. You’ve literally exhausted all (but one) of your options and now it’s like where do I turn to. You’ve spent so long looking for restoration and you’ve had enough. It may even be a sin that you’re constantly indulging in and you just can’t seem to shake. Temptation creeps up and you let it. The toll it has taken on your mind body and soul is ENOUGH.

Then you remember Jesus, or you hear about a man named Jesus. You think to yourself “I’ve seen what He’s done in my life before, or what He’s done in others. I’ve heard stories, watched sermons, heard testimonies” and now you’re like – that’s what I want. I need that. Even just a fraction of that. Maybe you’re watching this somehow and you don’t believe in God or you do believe some supernatural being is there and you just haven’t come to meet Him yet. But now whatever your situation, you’ve heard Jesus is just one trip away. You’re like yeah I can reach Him. I can have my own story to tell. I can get healing. My dreams and goals can become my reality. I can resist temptation from my sins. Then BOOM!

Just when you thought it was that easy, there’s a whole crowd in front of you that SEEM to be blocking you from accomplishing what you set out for. This crowd may be illness, finances, broken homes, broken relationships, grief, Covid-19, pain, failures, past has come back to bite you. I saw a picture on pinterest that said My Plan and had a stickman on the bike with a straight line to the finish flag and then God’s plan which had hills and deep bits and so on. We put our plans before God and think because we told Him what we want it’s going to be smooth sailing. Cool.

Then we reach the crowds and we have two choices:

1. Push through because you’re beginning to understanding life isn’t easy, but I know my blessing is in the midst of this calamity
2. Or be complacent in your misery

You can either adapt to your situation or develop a defeatist mindset and turn around and go home because you weren’t prepared for this. Listen God can grant our wishes without us having to fight. I’m sure He’s done that. If I stop and think I’m sure there’s been times. But the bible says His ways are not our ways. He knows that sometimes we have to go through that valley.

Psalms 23 – a well-known passage but I don’t think we deep it. David said “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For thou art with m; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me”.

DO YOU DEEP THAT? David acknowledged that there will be hard times. Dark times. Death may even knock at our door a couple times, but David said He will not fear because thy rod and thy staff comfort me. It’s funny because in Hebrew rod translates to Shebet (pronounced Sha’Vet). Definitions include punishment, correction and guidance. when you think guidance and discipline, the word comfort doesn’t really seem synonymous to any of those. Not a feeling I would associate. More so pain and labour. Imagine though David said that they comfort Him. Correct me if I’m reaching but we can find comfort in the discomfort right? Our trials not only test us but guide and discipline us. They mould us and lead us to where we need to be. Who we need to meet. I think for me that’s where comfort kicks in. I know the one who is guiding me through this valley. Through this crowd. I know what awaits on the other side. Like the woman with the issue of blood. She knew Jesus could heal her all she had to do was push through. If we are seeking after God, rest assured we will find our way out of this valley. We are given God’s word to follow as guidance to help us.

Psalms 119:105 says “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path”. We been told that Jesus is the word (John 1;1 & 14) . He also said He is the light (John 8:12) so why are you scared? Why are you holding back? We can thrive in the valley of the shadow of death because we are following the light and with light where’s the shadow please? So now when we reach the crowds, what’s actually stopping us? We have the tools we need. No more looking for what we need in the wrong places when Jesus is right there. My favourite bible verse is Philippians 3:14 “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”. The context was Paul saying he is not perfect, but He wants to finish the race. He wants to be who God called Him to be so He will continue to press on. So are you going to bounce or believe?

Then we have Jairus. Yeah I bet we all forgot about him. You might relate to him though. Remember he appears in this passage to Jesus before the woman with the issue of blood did. He asked God for a request first – to heal his daughter who at this point was only sick. Then suddenly this woman comes out of nowhere and Jesus stops to do chit chat with her whilst this man’s daughter is sick at home? So this is all going on, then one of the people of Jairus’s house come to tell him, the daughter isn’t sick, she’s dead now. Luke 8:42 emphasises that this was his only daughter so imagine the pain this man was feeling. Imagine he asked Jesus to do something, but Jesus took His sweet time working for others.

I think many can relate. Say you’ve been attending church for years, then this one person comes and couple months or so later they testify how a massive miracle has happened in their life. You’re thinking have I not been in the faith for years wagwan? Or you may have presented a situation to God and someone you know in a similar situation has had their prayers answered. May not even be similarity. You might just be scrolling on twitter or insta and seeing people celebrating jobs, promotion, babies and graduations and you’re thinking – when’s my turn?

Then you get some news and your situation goes from bad to worse. Instead of a promotion you get fired. Instead of a baby, you find out you’re infertile. Instead of healing, your loved one is given 6 months to live. You’re thinking God why you didn’t just step in when I asked. God then turns around and tells you that you just have to believe? You’re thinking where has believing actually got me? He asks again, are you going to take the situation for what it is and bounce or are you going to trust me? God tells you that despite the situation, He can make you whole, heal you or comfort you through your pain – do you laugh in His face like Sarah or get on your knees and pray like Hannah?

Imagine vs 53 of Luke 8 says that the people of Jairus’s house laughed Jesus to scorn. Me too I probably would have laughed. I’ve just seen this girl dead and this man comes along to tell me she’s just sleeping. We literally do this every time we limit the power of God to change our situations. When we forget we serve the same God who parted a sea, caused walls to fall down, made a donkey talk, gave a virgin a baby. That God is still the same God of today. We look at situations for what they are without God’s hand being in the midst of them. There’s even a case where Jesus couldn’t perform miracles because the unbelief from the people around Him was just too much.

Are we limiting God with our unbelief? Or are we trusting Him to resurrect the situation just as Jesus did Jairus’s daughter. When the going gets tough are we going to bounce or are we going to believe?