Mark 5:25-34 Now
a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent
all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in
the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch the hem of His robe, I shall be made well.”
Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.
And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who
touched My clothes?”
But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who
touched Me?’”
And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and
trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said
to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”
Yesterday, while in my kitchen washing dishes, I looked out of
the window at my yard. We have a small yard with a chain link fence that separates our yard from the parking lot
of a teacher's union. Both are hideous sights - the parking lot in my back yard, and the old fence.
I found myself thinking about
fences and that we put them up to keep what is ours in, and what is not ours, out. The fence is there to
keep anyone from coming over into my space unless invited.
Then I found myself singing "Let there not be a fence in my yard! Let
there not be a fence in my yard"
Then my mind began to wander. In the past few weeks, I'd
been feeling like my "yard" was trampled upon. Well intentioned others, entering my space, pulling
for my time. I had work to do. I was on a mission. Focused. I'd love to have given
them the time for chat but I just didn't have any. This is my busiest time of year at work, and I'm pretty
busy around the house too.
I found I didn't have the time to give.
But then I "saw" Jesus pressing through the multitudes, and there
were people pulling at Him, and one who touched the edge of His garments. Many were pulling at Him,
but He wanted to know "who touched Him."
He noticed, because His thoughts were not on just trying to get through the
crowd or the day. Yes He was on a mission, but not so focused on the mission that He could not see others along
the way. He did not put up fences to keep others away from His personal space. So secure
in His Father's love, that He needed no fences to divide what was His from what was theirs.
My mind wandered to the coming revival. It is coming soon you
know. I say "it" but really true revival is a visitation of the Lord Himself. So I will
clarify, He is coming soon, you know. And there will be many that will be pushing and thronging against
us. There will be many wanting to come and touch the hem of our garments, so to speak. They
will push to come.
Does the Precious Oil flow to the outer edges of our garments?
Were they uninvited? Or had we cried out for revival
for a long long time? What do we expect revival looks like?
Multitudes.
Dwelling together in unity has no fences. Our boundary is in
Christ.
John 15:10 If you keep My commandments,
you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
And I reflected on this more as I looked out my kitchen window, overlooking
A Fence, singing "Keep me from building a fence in my heart"
Proverbs 19:11 A man's wisdom gives him patience;
it is to his glory to overlook offense.
Father how can we prepare for multitudes of revival when we have fences of
offense right now in our hearts? Be our DE-Fence as we learn to let go of our need to protect our space.
Prepare our hearts to offer freely all that is in our "yard" as You direct. May there be no offense found
when You return.
*By the way, I "saw" some "impatiens growing in my yard"
and so I looked up some information on impatiens, and the common name for impatiens is "touch-me-nots".
What was that about a man's wisdom giving him patience?
It is his glory to overlook offense.
Interesting.
