Just Keep Searching

She had search for years, forty in fact. She had tried ointments and medicines. She had gone to doctor after doctor and tried every imaginable option. She was desperate for relief, for healing, for a miracle. She had spent more money than she could count, but no matter what she tried, the outcome was always the same, her sickness was still with her. When someone mentioned the healer Jesus, she was reluctant, maybe even a little sarcastic, but deep inside her heart there was still a measure of hope. When the word came that Jesus was coming to her town, she pushed passed her previous disappointments and headed to where they said Jesus would be. As she nears where Jesus is, she sees the crowd, and for a moment she considers turning around and heading home, but the same hope that had caused her to try every medicine, meet every doctor, and spend whatever it cost, said press on. So, she did, pushing through the crowd, she can only catch the hem of Jesus’ garment. What happens next is beyond her imagination. An indescribable feeling runs through her body, instantly she knows something has changed. No one has to tell her, no one has to verify what has happened, she knows. . . she gasps and whispers to herself, “I’m healed.” No one in the crowd knows, and if it had not been for Jesus pausing, she could have walked away whole. But Jesus stops, asking what the crowd and disciples think is an absurd question, “someone has touched me.” The disciples state the obvious, “Master, everyone has touched you.” But then Jesus clarifies, it wasn’t just a touch, but a touch of faith, a touch of hope, a touch that took virtue out of Jesus’ body and brought healing to the woman. Her life is forever changed because she never quit searching, never gave up. If you’re searching for answers to problems in your life, searching for a solution to difficult circumstances, search for Jesus and keep searching until you find Him. While you may not find your answer today or tomorrow, if you keep on searching and keep looking with purpose, you will find Him. And when you find Him, you will find the answer to so many questions and the solution to so many problems and difficulties. You can try everything you know to solve the issues you are dealing with, but when every other possibility fails, and it feels hopeless, know that if you haven’t tried Jesus, you still have hope, and He was your best option all along.

Pentecost: Do It Again

Today as we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, I ask one thing. Lord, do it again. We live in a time where culture is divided, violence is out of control and immorality is celebrated. Humanity has no cure for what ills our nations and the world. Government cannot legislate the problems away.  Education cannot solve the issues by teaching. There is one solution for our world. A move of the Holy Spirit. It has to come through people who will be like the 120 who patiently waited in the Upper Room for the promise. People who are willing to sacrifice their time, give up activities and personal desires and agendas and seek the face of God. Pentecost was not a religion, organization or cult, it was a sovereign move of God, promised by Jesus just before ascending into heaven. It was not fabricated, hyped up by music or manipulated by masterful wordsmiths. It was a “suddenly” that came to desperate people crying out to God. It was a room filled with men and women of all social standings and its initial outpouring was so multicultural that it was heard in 14 languages. There were no fences, no clicks and no limitations. It fell on political figures, rich, poor, educated and uneducated. It crossed ethnic backgrounds; Jews, Greeks, Egyptians, Romans and spread throughout the world. So powerful was the move that in Acts 17 they said, “these are they who have turned the world upside down.” That is what we need today. A Pentecost that turns the world upside down, or I would say, right side up. How does it happen? It’s as simple as it was 2000 years ago. Seeking God above anything else, making prayer a priority, asking God to move on our nation and pour out the Spirit. Acts 2:39 says, the promise was for all. The only question is, are we desperate enough yet?