When Jesus Reached Down
“Taking her by the hand he said to her, ‘Talitha cumi,’ which means, ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise.’ And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.” — Mark 5:41–43, ESV
This story in Mark 5 means so much to me in this season of my life. I often find myself meditating on certain stories of the Bible or passages of Scripture for extended periods of time. I like to think of it as putting it in the “crockpot” of my mind and letting it marinate for a while. The longer it sits, the richer it becomes.
Earlier in the chapter, a father named Jairus approaches Jesus to ask Him to come and heal his daughter. As they make their way through the crowd, a woman with an issue of blood stops Jesus in His tracks and receives a supernatural healing. Immediately afterward, Jairus is told that his daughter has died and that he should no longer trouble Jesus. But Jesus turns to Jairus and comforts him, saying, “Do not fear, only believe.” (v. 36)
When Jesus arrives at the house, He walks into the room, reaches down, and raises this little girl from the dead. It’s a beautiful picture of God’s love for us and for those we love! What makes this story even more interesting is how it’s tied to the woman with the issue of blood. She had suffered for twelve years, and the little girl was twelve years old. Culturally, the woman would have been considered unclean and had broken the law by touching anyone—especially a man of God. The little girl, too, would have been considered unclean because she was dead. Why is this significant?
God’s love is so wonderful that it welcomes the “unclean” to reach out to Him. He wasn’t afraid of the woman and her condition. He wasn’t bothered by her brokenness. Instead, He encouraged her faith and healed her. Through her story, we see that no matter what we are facing—challenges, burdens, or brokenness—we can still reach out to Him and hear the words, “Your faith has made you well.” (v. 34)
As incredible as this is, it’s even more special that God Himself reaches down into our brokenness, shame, and even death, and lifts us out so we can be with Him! We don’t serve a God who only responds when we pursue Him—He is actively pursuing us. The question we must answer is: How will I respond?
Will you trust your life, your family, and your circumstances to Him? Will you allow Him to reach down and lift you out of the darkest places of your life? We do have a responsibility to pursue Him, just as the woman with the issue of blood did… but we must never forget that we can love only because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
Jesus loves you. He is willing to reach down and lift you up. He longs to speak life to you and over you. Will you let Him?
Prayer
Jesus, I pray for those reading this devotional today—that they would recognize and see that You have come to give life, and life abundantly. You are not only a God who allows brokenness to reach out to You, but also the God who willingly reaches down into our brokenness and pulls us out. My prayer is that faith would replace fear and shame, and that we would open our arms and our hearts to You. We welcome You in to heal the things in our lives that need healing—every relationship, every sickness, every challenge, every struggle. We give it all to You. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
