I believe in prayer and in a God of miracles. Many years ago whilst driving to a preaching engagement some of my staff were with me in the car, and we were praying. I said to God, ‘I’m tired of talking about the miracle of my cancer and the miracle of my release from prison, I want a new miracle, a bigger one, NOW!’ Then I realised what I had said – and my staff remember – I cried out to God, ‘Oh God, hold me by the hand whilst I go through the suffering that will bring the miracle.’ Do you understand? Miracles do not come easy. When in my most recent healing miracle I had gone to the hospital with suspected lung cancer, one of my daughters who is a nurse and was with me at the time said, ‘Dad, don’t be afraid when they diagnose the cancer. Unless they prove that you have it, you will have no evidence of a miracle when God heals you!’ God said to me, ‘David, you’ve got a mountain in your life that you’ve got to move, and that mountain is to get that cancer out from your lung. I didn’t go to a healing evangelist, I went to the Word of God and God completely healed me – no operation, no treatment – I only had God and the Bible, and that’s all I needed to confound the doctors. They were shocked, they didn’t believe God. But I do, I believe in a God of power, of miracles.
One of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 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. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
“You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”
Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him.
After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat. (Mark 5.22-43, NIV)
It is never too late with Jesus. It doesn’t matter what your age, whether you are young or old; just as with Jairus, Jesus will answer your prayer.
In this Bible story, this woman with the issue of blood was determined to get an answer to her problem. Immediately she touched Jesus, He knew and the first thing he said was, ‘who touched Me?’ The disciples replied, ‘how could you know that somebody has touched You? Hundreds of people have touched you?’ But Jesus knew this woman was different. She touched him in a different way because she was determined to be healed. Do you understand why the story of this woman is told? She was so determined: she was tried of being sick, why should she live like this? She wanted to be rid of that sickness! She came into that crowd determined to fight her way through! You have to come to Jesus like that. If you do you’ll get what you ask for.
In the crowd there was only one woman who got what she came for. Touch Jesus today. Be the one person in the crowd who actually gets through. Or will you be at the back of the crowd and go away disappointed. The choice is yours. Of all the hundreds of people around Jesus, many touched Him but only one touched Him in faith. Where are you in that crowd today? In the back, careless, indifferent, or are you determined to reach him. Jesus wants you to touch him. He has something new he wants to put in your life.