Perhaps we may want the blessing without the trusting. It can be easier to have confidence in man and things around us than to have confidence in the One we cannot see.
If you read the context you'll see that these are the very words of the Lord himself and are in sharp contrast to words spoken about those who trust in man and depend on human strength (vs5). Sometimes we need to be reminded of the position we would be in without Christ (vs 5&6) in order that we might trust in the Lord all the more.
It also begs the question as to whether our lives are as sharp in their contrast as they should be compared with those who do not trust in the Lord. What sharper contrasts can there be than those depicted in these verses. Blessing instead of a curse, water rather than a desert, green leaves and fruit even in the hardest of conditions rather than parched places and desolation. So why do we generally find it hard to truly trust in the Lord? Is it that we listen too much to man's solutions and ideas? Is it that our 'old nature' has the better of us more than it should? Is it that we 'trust' the Lord to do things our way and feel let down if he doesn't?
If we would like to have the reality of the blessing that the Lord has for us, then our trust and confidence must be equally real. Isn't it true that the more often you trust in the Lord, the more real he becomes? This then results in our confidence in the Lord increasing as well. Psalm 25:3 says, 'No- one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame.' and Isaiah 26:3 says, 'You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.'
He is consistent with his promises and therefore we can have confidence in him. Trust him today and receive the blessing that comes with it.
This is a sample from the booklet Think & Respond published by Damascus Trust, which is freely available upon request. Please order via our contact page
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 realised 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."
This seems an odd question to ask. With a large crowd jostling around Him and with the disciples, like security men, trying to keep Jesus safe as well as moving towards Jairus’s house, Jesus suddenly turns around and asks this question. You can hear the surprise in the disciples’ response. But notice the way they alter the question. They repeat it as simply ‘Who touched me?’ Jesus asked a much more specific question because he knew a deliberate action had been taken. This question highlights three things.
Faith requires action: Jesus knew that someone had touched his clothes in a very different way from the rest of the crowd around him. It was an act of faith. Faith, when put into action, makes the ordinary, extraordinary. Lots of people were reaching out to Jesus, but not with the faith of this lady. Faith doesn’t require a flourish or fanfare; just simple action. ‘If I just…’ This lady’s faith was enough for her to know that just to touch the fringe of Jesus’ outer garment would be sufficient. That’s some faith and it brought healing even before Jesus asked the question.
Faith will be recognised: Jesus asked the question because he recognised faith in action. No-one noticed this woman’s action, not even Jesus, but he noticed the effect. Healing power had gone from him. That’s what made him stop. It’s not whether others notice or whether people are impressed by what we do. What matters is that our acts of faith are recognised by the Lord. Amidst the pushing and jostling, Jesus felt this touch above all else. In the same way today, in all the hustle and bustle of life, the Lord will not miss you reaching out to him in faith.
Faith needs to be confessed: ‘Knowing what had happened to her…’ The question Jesus asked gave opportunity for the lady to publicly declare what had happened. Without this, there would be no story to read and no reassurance from Jesus. Mark could only relate what we read earlier because the lady told ‘the whole truth’. The doctors had taken her money but not taken her sickness. She came to Jesus in a worse state and with nothing but her faith. ‘If I just…I will be healed.’ Now she came out from the crowd, in fear and trembling to worship Jesus openly as healer and Lord.
Not only does Christ want to bring healing into our lives, but he also wants to give us peace and freedom. Even today, in the public places, Christ asks us to confess our faith in him so that we will enjoy his healing, peace and freedom in areas of our lives that medicine cannot reach. In so doing we will not only be acknowledged in heaven (Matt 10:321), but we will be an encouragement and witness to others around us.
This is a sample from the booklet Questions Jesus Asked published by Damascus Trust, which is freely available upon request. Please order via our contact page
This blessing follows hot on the heels of a declaration by Jesus. ‘Behold, I am coming soon!’ Then the promise of a blessing is given, and the group who will enjoy the blessing is clearly identified - ‘he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.’
What a welcome declaration this is for all who have read the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. The horrors of God’s judgement have been clearly portrayed. The encouragement to the saints to persevere and remain faithful has been reiterated time and again. The final judgement and eternal separation for all has been spelt out. The beauty and glory of the new heaven and new earth has been shown but the call of the martyrs from chapter six verse nine seems to linger with us - ‘How long?’ Will this ever actually come to be?
For those who have been and are caught up in times of oppression and persecution, those who are suffering because of their love for Christ, even for those struggling to keep following Christ, for whatever reason, the call is often, ‘How long?’
Well, let this declaration and blessing ring out loud and clear. ‘Behold I am coming soon!’ Soon is before long! Whilst we don’t know exactly when, the fact that it will be soon encourages us to keep going and stay awake. The phrase is repeated three times in this epilogue (vs7,12,20) as if to emphasise the need to stay awake and be ready. Those who think the return is delayed may well be the ones who fall asleep, as it were,get distracted or give up.
We have already seen that the word ‘blessed’ speaks of ‘much lengthy happiness’. This has been God’s desire right from the beginning of time, that he might share with men and women the complete happiness that he enjoys. This happiness is now promised for those who not only look for the coming again of Christ, but also keep the words of the Revelation. The Greek word for ‘keeps’ is in the present continuous tense - ‘keeping, going on keeping’. The idea is that we don’t read and then lock away to keep the pages safe from theft, but we allow the words to affect our daily lives. Just as we keep breathing, i.e. keeping air going in and out of our bodies, so we must keep the words of Revelation uppermost in our lives. We live in the light of what is declared. Jesus uses the same word when speaking of obeying his commandments out of love for him (John 14:21). It’s more than a reading or committing to memory. We allow that which is declared to impact our lives day by day.
This can be further understood when we realise that ‘words’ is the Greek ‘logos’ meaning the ‘expression of thought’. It’s more than just words that are spoken. In Revelation, as throughout the Bible, God is sharing something of his very self with us. His plans and purposes, his desires and decrees are given in order that things can be different for us. But the exhortation behind this blessing is to keep going. In case we might think that by simply reading to the end of Revelation we have ‘arrived’, the encouragement is to keep going, keep living in the light, keep faithful, until Jesus comes again - soon!
Finally the words are those contained in ‘this book’. The word ‘book’ is ‘biblion’ and speaks of a little book or scroll and refers back to the instructions given to John in chapter one verse eleven, when he was told to write down everything he saw (and heard) on a scroll and send it to the seven churches. Now the blessing can be ours as we continue to keep what is written.
This is a sample from the booklet Promises For Those Who... published by Damascus Trust, which is freely available upon request. Please order via our contact page