第八章

42 ……耶穌去的時候，眾人擁擠他。43 有一個女人，患了十二年的血漏，在醫生手裡花盡了他一切養生的，並沒有一人能醫好他。 44 他來到耶穌背後，摸他的衣裳繸子，血漏立刻就止住了。 45 耶穌說：摸我的是誰？眾人都不承認。彼得和同行的人都說：夫子，眾人擁擁擠擠緊靠著你。（有古卷在此有：你還問摸我的是誰嗎？） 46 耶穌說：總有人摸我，因我覺得有能力從我身上出去。 47 那女人知道不能隱藏，就戰戰兢兢的來俯伏在耶穌腳前，把摸他的緣故和怎樣立刻得好了，當著眾人都說出來。 48 耶穌對她說：女兒，你的信救了你；平平安安的去吧！

默想：

1. 我們很多時候以為，處在危機中，例如：癌症，破產，長期精神衰弱，無法避免的憂傷，或是失去信心；我們以為，這是必須坦然無懼地來到神的面前，才可能希望神答應我們的祈求。但是這個女人是恐懼戰兢地接近耶穌，她並不知道會有什麼結果，她心中只有一個微薄的願望：“只是摸一下耶穌的衣角” 。
2. 有時，我們所能做的就是像這個女人，暗暗地從後面，以我們僅存的力氣（意志），來觸摸耶穌的衣繸，希望他不會發怒或置之不理，並且希望在我們幾乎絕望的當中，能出現一絲生機。
3. 我是否曾經害怕神，而不敢將自己的問題帶到神面前？這個故事如何幫助我面對危急的情況？
4. 告訴神我現在所面對的困難。將我心中所有的恐懼、不安、缺乏信心，或是渴望、希望、感恩，都一起帶到神面前，與他交談，聆聽他對我說話，接受神的安慰與醫治。

 

 

Luke 8

42 ……   As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.   45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.  When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”  46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”  47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

Meditation:

1. Often we are taught that when we are in desperate need of something from God – in a crisis caused by, cancer, bankruptcy, chronic depression, inescapable grief, or loss of faith – we must come boldly and without fear into God’s presence if we expect him to answer our prayer.  Yet this woman came in fear and trembling, having no idea what might happen, but thinking, “If I can just touch the edge of his cloak, who knows?”
2. Sometimes all we can do is struggle toward God from behind and stretch with what little we have left in us to touch the edge of him, hoping he will not be angry with us or ignore us, hoping something will happen that we are almost beyond believing can happen.  We discover, to our astonishment, that nothing more than this is required, and we live.
3. Have I ever been too frightened to come to God with a problem?  Why?  How would this story help me as I face desperate situations?
4. Talk to God about the problem I am facing.  Bring all my fear, uncertainty, lack of faith, or eagerness, hope and thanksgiving to God.  Talk to him and wait for him to speak.

 

Family Time

vv38-39, One of the hardest places to be a Christian is at home.  The people who see us everyday cannot be fooled.  They know how we really live.  It makes giving a witness harder.  Ask each family member to tell what God has done for him or her in recent days.  Thank God for his blessings.