As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 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. (Luke 8:42b-44)
In Karen Kingsbury’s novel, Fame, Katy Hart wants to move on from her hometown play acting career. She lands a leading role in a motion picture. It appears God answers her prayer, but the situation takes a detour. She discovers the paparazzi and knows this path is not God’s will. Having faith, she declines the role. Reading further into Kingsbury’s Firstborn Series, we discover that God answers Katy’s prayers in a bigger way than she expects.
Jesus is on his way to heal Jairus’ twelve-year old daughter and meets a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. Since the word twelve means faith in the Bible, we deduct this passage is about faith. We know previously from the riotous crowd wanting to throw Jesus off the cliff that He can move through crowds quickly, but this time He lets the crowds stop Him to heal the bleeding woman. He takes a detour from healing Jairus’ daughter. How do we react when we come to Jesus in desperation, and He takes a detour? He seems to be answering other people’s prayers but not ours.
Dear Heavenly Father, help me have faith when my prayers aren’t answered quickly and you seem to take a detour. Help me see what you are teaching me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
I always say that it is God’s clock and it is His calendar. Things generally happen when they are supposed too. I guess I don’t think of it as God taking a detour, as much as He knows the right timing. It is frustrating not to have our prayers answered, especially when we feel desperate for an answer. I wondered so many times where God was when we were building this house. It was very hard to be bombarded daily with negative things and feel that God had no clue what the stress was doing to both of us and our health. Everyone has their problems because this world and our lives are not perfect. I asked God frequently what we were supposed to be learning from all the misery. I still have no answer. Maybe, it is something that I just need to accept. Maybe, there will never be an answer.
I like that. We are better off when we have that attitude of God’s clock and calendar. Jesus will answer all our questions someday.