Don’t Give Up

You’ve prayed and prayed some more, and nothing seems to change. And at times it seems the situation has gotten worse?

It’s easy to give up; become disillusioned; to feel… hopeless.

And yet, God asks us to never give up!

The woman in the Bible that most inspires me is found in the scripture mentioned above. She is referred to, simply by the condition that troubled her; “The Woman with the Issue of Blood.”

She had an incurable condition that lasted for too long, not only draining her physical body but also her finances as well as her hope. She was at the end of herself. She couldn’t live this way any longer and it seemed everything that she utilized to give her relief had failed her.

She was desperate… finished!

And yet, somehow, she found the courage to make a choice. She determined in her heart that she would give her last bit of hope to a man who claimed to heal; to restore; to deliver. A man named Jesus.

Going against the crowd; pressing through in her weakened condition must have been excruciating. What gave her such strength, such courage?

I believe it was her incredible desire to be whole.

As she made her way closer to Him, she didn’t speak a word to Him. She hadn’t heard a sermon. She simply drew close to Him and touched the very hem of his garment.

As she drew near with her outstretched arm, every fear, accusation, every bad report, every ounce of shame and disapproval fell to the ground. And as her fingers touched him, his faithful powerful promise met her. Not only was her physical body restored, but her faith; her desire to believe; her hope had returned. Light had replaced the darkness of her heart.

Can you relate to hopelessness? Unanswered prayers? Worsening conditions and situations?

I can.

Several years ago I was face to face with a living nightmare. My heart was full of hopelessness. Our daughter was far away from both our family and God. I worried and prayed (but probably worried a lot more.) No matter what I said or did to help her made matters far worse than I could have ever imagined.

The situation was dire. The choice was mine. Would I give up? Be angry? Fill my days with anxiety? Or would I press into the only One who could do anything… Jesus!

Pressing in to touch His garment looked different for me than the woman many centuries earlier.

I chose to turn off social media. I stopped getting advice from well-meaning friends. I chose to spend my spare time, closed off in my house and press in with prayer and worship on her behalf.

(Please know I’m not sharing this to make myself look super spiritual- many days I screamed and cried and my prayers looked more pathetic than powerful.)

One day, it seemed that something shifted in my heart. I remember it specifically. I found myself laying facedown on my kitchen floor in a puddle of tears when suddenly, it seemed hope had been dropped into my heart for the situation. In a moment… I believed for her return.

It didn’t happen that day or many days after, but one day, the phone rang, and the process of her healing and restoration had begun. Today, she and her husband live in a foreign country, sharing the Gospel to others. I thank God every day for His healing upon her life.

What pains you? What is trying to tear your heart out? May I suggest you press into the Only One who can truly heal and restore all that is lost and damaged? It may look different for you, but find your own way to press in.

I don’t know the answers that you need, but I do know that Jesus never, ever will leave us abandoned. His promise is this: “Draw close to me, and I will draw close to You.” ~ James 4:8

May you find all that you need in that sacred place.