God is Persona and Always There For Us, To Hear, Love, Guide, etc.

 If Jesus was mobbed by a crowd of people so big they pushed Him along, do you think He’d stop for someone? What if He was hurrying to see someone else? Sure, He would. And, He did. Here’s a great example of a time He did. It shows how we need to stop and help others; being still & knowing He is God isn’t just about waiting.

Luke 8:40-48 tells about a woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ clothes and got healed of a blood disorder. It’s also found in Matthew 9 and Mark 5; each gives slightly different details because the Spirit wanted them to focus on certain things. It’s like the example in class where Frankco and Zebree (I don’t recallif Monique was in class yet) went to Kalahari at the same time, yet remembered *very* different things. These writers are much closer than that! Read them all, plus the raising of Jairus’ daughter right after that. Jesus was so popular here, lots of people were around Him, though not everyone who touched Him was healed of something. Maybe some weren’t sick, of course, but some would have been.

We can’t just know facts about Jesus, or make a verbal decision, and expect results. That would be like sitting down to eat, saying, “This is food. It will nourish me and make me strong” and getting up without eating. That would be crazy, huh? Even if – or especially if – you say it’s your favorite food, you can’t enjoy if you don’t eat.

This woman had enough faith, she didn’t even touch Jesus; she just touched the threads connected to His clothes. Sometimes we’re like that hem – we may not be just like Jesus, but we need to be close enough we can have a positive impact on others, bringing them closer to God. Since Jesus knew her faith, He stopped. His disciples wondered why - they probably didn’t even see her. After all, they mention the throngs of people. They were surprised He noticed one. It’s no surprise to us, though. As busy as we get, Jesus sees everything. He cares about everyone, just like He told her that her faith had made her whole

Notice, too, He stopped for her even though He was going to help someone. In the end, He raises a 12YO girl from the dead. Had He not stopped for the woman, the girl would have died before He got to her; the servants were already on their way. While we don’t see when they left, we know lots of people were mourning her by the time He got there. God’s timing is perfect, like when He raised Lazarus; He leaves no doubt He was at work. Lazarus would have begun decomposing by the time He raised him. Our timing isn’t always God’s; He may be working on something better. There are other important lessons, too.

If we’re to be like Jesus in how we treat others, we need to see their needs and carfe about them. He had to get to that home. Of course, He is God and knew the situation. Others still expected Him there, though. Yet, it was important that He stop to help someone along the way. Paul knew how to do this. He became a servant to many, that he had been “made all things to all men, that he might by all means save some.” 1 Cor. 9:19-23. He let Jesus make him a servant by giving him an attitude of wanting to help others. As he did, he could then share what God had done for him, and the great change Jesus made in his life.

Jesus is always willing to stop for us, either because we have a great need or He has a great plan for us if we’ll listen. I’ve shared various examples, like stopping to pray for someone when they come to mind. It’s also vital to stop and serve others. We should all, adults and kids, be an example of that for each other, and show our thankfulness when someone is helping us. This is how we function as a team; remember, we’re not fighting flesh and blood, we’re fighting spiritual battles.(Eph. 6:12) So, we need to be on the same side to make others’ jobs easier. Is your attitude making life easier or harder for people? If harder, ask Jesus to help you to be more humble, to see others’ needs and focus on what gives us true joy – Jesus, Others, then Yourself.