Is our faith capable of saving us?

Mark 5: 25-34, ²⁵ And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. ²⁶ She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. ²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸ because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” ²⁹ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

³⁰ At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

³¹ “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

³² But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. ³³ Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. ³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

In the gospel of Mark 5:25-34, we read how the faith of a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years heals her. Bleeding for twelve long years she must have made several visits to medicine men, and done lots of treatment leading loss to of property and must have felt disheartened and lost all hope of being cured. She heard about Jesus. And thought to herself, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” She reached behind Jesus and touched His cloak. The power went out of Jesus and healed her completely.Immediately Jesus realized that power had gone out of Him and healed someone. He turns around and asks who touched Him. With respect to Christ it was valid question. But the disciples considered it trivial and say, ³¹ “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” But there is huge difference when someone touches in a crowd unintentionally and when someone touches intentionally. The disciples and the people around created a huge crowd around Jesus. But only one woman, with full and firm faith/belief that the Lord’s power can heal her, touches Him.

The disciples too became a part of the crowd that surrounded Jesus. It is time to reflect and think how do we worship, adore and pray to our Lord. Is it automated like a machine?? Or, like the woman above, is our faith powerful and firm enough to make Jesus turn and look at us?? The incidents in the Bible are not fictional happenings. No matter how many times we hear or read it does not stay in out hearts. Its like a pot with holes, everything seeps out slowly. The Lord says to the bleeding woman, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Let us ask a question to ourselves, how is our faith?? Like the bleeding woman? Like the woman from Canaan?? Who does like to hear this, “Daughter/Son, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” We also pray. But when we do not receive an answer instantly, our faith depletes. Sometimes we give up prayer completely.

Children of God, this is not what the Father expects of us. Pray. The time and moment is His. Let our faith be powerful to defeat all shackles/traps/temptations by the evil one.Pray and have faith.