Pursuit

Luke 8:43-46 (NIV) And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. "Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you." But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me."

Most of us are familiar with praying, "Lord, touch us." But the woman in this story decided she was going to touch Him.

For twelve long years she had suffered. She had likely exhausted every option available to her. Yet when she heard Jesus was passing by, she did not stand at a distance hoping He would notice her. She did not wait for an invitation. She pressed through the crowd with one thought in mind: If I can just touch Him, everything can change.

She reached for Jesus in faith.

The moment she touched the edge of His cloak, she was healed.

What makes this story remarkable is that many people surrounded Jesus that day. Peter even pointed out that crowds were pressing in on Him from every side. Yet Jesus stopped and asked, "Who touched me?" There was something different about this touch. While others were close to Jesus physically, this woman pursued Him in faith.

Throughout the Gospels, we see this same pattern repeated. Blind Bartimaeus refused to stop crying out when others told him to be quiet (Mark 10:46-52). The friends of the paralyzed man climbed onto a roof, tore through it, and lowered their friend down to Jesus (Mark 2:1-12). These people came from different backgrounds and faced different obstacles, but they had one thing in common: they believed Jesus was the answer, and their faith moved them to pursue Him.

In fact, when the paralyzed man was lowered through the roof, Scripture says, "When Jesus saw their faith..." (Mark 2:5). Faith is invisible, yet Jesus saw it because it was expressed through action. Their pursuit revealed their confidence in who He was.

Our faith is not ultimately in what Jesus can do for us, but in who He is. We pursue Him because we trust His character, His power, and His promises. This kind of faith does not remain passive. It reaches, cries out, presses through obstacles, and refuses to settle for a distant view of Jesus.

As leaders, it is easy to mistake proximity for pursuit. We can spend our days serving in ministry, preparing lessons, leading meetings, and caring for others while neglecting our own pursuit of Christ. We can be around the things of God without intentionally pressing into His presence.

The woman with the issue of blood reminds us that there is a difference between being near Jesus and pursuing Him. Many people were in the crowd that day, but she was the one who reached for Him in faith.

What about you? Where is Jesus inviting you to pursue Him more intentionally? What obstacle do you need to press through? What step of faith is He asking you to take today?

- Stay the course, my friend.