The reading for Tuesday is Mark 5.
When it is time to read, please start first by praying and thanking God for His many blessings. Be specific.
Record your thank you’s on paper or on the computer.
Next present your requests to Him. Ask Him for whatever you want and need. As you do, record your requests and questions on paper or on the computer.
Third, ask Him to guide you in your reading, so that you will hear his message for you today.
After you read, record your SOAP observations and then listen for five minutes. (Yes, I upped it by two minutes this time. I think you’re ready to listen a bit longer.) Set a timer and just listen to what he might be sharing. Don’t ask. Don’t thank. Just listen. (You can pray more after you listen, if you like.)
Here is what I heard in the reading:
Scripture: Mark 5:28
because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”
Observation:
This woman had been suffering for years and no one could help help her. She believed, not just hoped but believed, so much in Jesus’ healing powers that she knew that simply by touching his clothes, she would be healed.
Application:
When do I have that kind of faith? Sometimes I do. Sometimes I do not. Sometimes my prayers are full-on requests with robust faith. And sometimes they are aren’t. I wonder why that is.
I want to be in better touch. God shows me again and again that He is there, that He is faithful and that He is in control.
I have direct access to Him. He will heal me and guide me. I just need to reach out and touch Him, in faith, every single time.
Yes, there are instances in the Bible where people die and prayers don’t seem to turn out the way the pray-er wants them to turn out. This is where I get puzzled.
And then I remember that He has the best outcome in mind for each of us. Only He knows the best outcome and often the specifics of that may not be what we hope.
When things look hopeless, we still need to pray with gusto, asking for healing, or change or whatever we want. We also need to put the situation fully in His hands and trust, really trust that He has the best eternal outcome in mind. He will listen and He will answer. So even when the bleeding doesn’t stop, or whatever it is we ask for, we need to listen and pull Him closer and trust in his answer, as much as it makes sense or does not.
Prayer:
Lord, I want to reach out to you in full faith every time. And I want to have faith enough to ask with gusto, see you working and accept your answer and guidance with gusto, too.
So many times I have seen your incredible provision. Thank you, Lord, for never letting me down, even as I endured bumps and bruises, and for letting me see your hand when things did not turn out how I had initially hoped.
Please help all who are suffering and questioning and wondering where you are and why you do the things you do. Help each one who is hurting to feel your presence, feel your love and see your healing.
And, please, continue to stay close and allow me to grow closer to you. Thank you for answering my prayers.
What about you? What did you see and hear in your reading of Mark 5?
Feel free to leave your thoughts, or a link to post with your thoughts, in the comments. If you do link a post, please include a link in your own post back to this post so your readers can see what others had to say, as well, and potentially join us.
Didn’t start reading or Blogging Through the Gospels with us? That’s okay, join in anytime. Each Sunday evening I post the reading schedule for the week ahead and each evening I post the next day’s reading assignment and devotional. Feel free to jump in where we are anytime and blog or journal along using the SOAP format. Feel free to share your thoughts on Twitter using the #Gospels hashtag, too.
If you would be interested in sharing your own SOAP observations on MomsToolbox as a guest SOAP’er, please send me an email using the contact button on the top right. I’ll be in touch soon to discuss the details.
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