In the fifth chapter of Mark’s written account of the Good News of Jesus, we find a woman who was desperate to get close enough to Jesus to touch Him. You have probably heard of her: the woman with the issue of blood. Scripture tells us she had suffered from her disease for twelve years and spent all she had on doctors who only made her condition worse. This failed pursuit of healing led her to one special moment: when she pressed through a crowd of people in faith that if she could just touch Jesus’s robe, she would be healed.

Numerous songs and sermons have been crafted on this woman’s behalf:
She was ostracized, but she pushed through the crowd and faced rejection and ridicule to get to the Healer.
She probably was stepped on or kicked, yet she persevered.
Her faith paved the way for her healing.
I had heard her story so many times that I was honestly a little desensitized to her miracle. However, my eyes have been freshly opened to this passage in a new way, my focus drawn to one specific verse I’ve skimmed past countless times.

You see, when Jesus realized that healing power had gone out of Him, He stopped and asked who had touched His robe. It seemed, to His disciples, that Jesus was asking a ludicrous question — they were being thronged by a crowd, so several people were touching His robe. In my imagination I see the disciples impatiently trying to rush Jesus so He could perform the mighty miracle of healing Jairus’s daughter. (Can you even imagine how impatient Jairus himself felt at Jesus taking His time on the journey to heal his daughter?) Neither the disciples nor Jairus seem to have given much thought to the unnamed members of the pressing crowd.

Jesus, however, did not brush by this woman. Jesus did not move on. He didn’t let it go. He was unrushed, undistracted. Determined to find her. Focused on her. Eager to lay eyes on the one:

“But He kept on looking around to see who had done it.” (5:32)

And she had not said a single word.

I just want to camp out in that verse and let all its implications marinate in my heart, all the truths that apply to this woman and to me: He kept on looking. He did not overlook her. He did not pass her by, because that is not the kind of Savior He is (He leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one!). He did not forget her. He wanted to see her, to lay eyes on her. How powerful is that?

Have you ever felt beaten up by life, walked into a worship service on a Sunday morning, and felt that immeasurable peace that comes when you have the undivided attention of the Creator of the universe? I know I have many times. All the weight of the world falls off your shoulders as you simply spend some face time with our loving God.

You see, we will all go through seasons when we, like the woman with the issue of blood, are at a loss for words. We won’t know what to say. Perhaps this speechlessness might stem from trauma or heartache or confusion or pain, a void in our life, a vacancy for a miracle. We might not even be able to find our voice to plead for help. We might not even have the words to pray. And the enemy wants to cast condemnation on us in those moments. His voice might sound something like, “God doesn’t want you. You don’t even pray. You haven’t touched your Bible in weeks. Why would He have anything to do with you?”

Please know, if you find yourself in a season like the one I’ve just described, You are not alone. The Bible does not document that the woman with the issue of blood cried out, pleaded, confessed her sins, or uttered a single word in her approach to Jesus. She simply reached out and grabbed His garment. And that act was enough to grab the attention of the Savior of the world.

“But He kept on looking around to see who had done it.” (5:32)

During these loss-for-words seasons, it can be easy to believe the lies that God is overlooking you or He isn’t going to do anything because you haven’t done your part. You may fall prey to the logic that since you aren’t praying (because you can’t find the right words to say), He isn’t moving.

If you find yourself in this position, a good place to start is to recognize those statements as lies. Come out of agreement with them by reminding yourself of the truth — that God does see you and He is working (1 Peter 3:12; John 5:17). Take the pressure off your striving by asking Holy Spirit to help you believe the truth. And look back at Jesus again and again to remember who He is. He says if we have seen Him, we have seen the Father. So we don’t have to guess about the character of the God we pray to and live for.

Jesus proves we serve the kind of God who cares enough to pause in a crowd to seek out the one desperate person who needs a touch from Him. He’s the type of Father who will not move on until He has looked you in your eyes and spoken soft, gentle words of comfort and reassurance to your heart. It doesn’t take a memorized prayer, an eloquent vocabulary, a rehearsed plea specific to your need – when you let Him see you where you are, when you decide to no longer stay hidden by the crowd and busyness of life, when you finally lock eyes with Him, you will be relieved to find He already knows everything. He knows you. He understands your circumstance. And most of all, He cares because He loves you.

If that’s where you are now, friend, then put yourself in the text. Hear how the crowd has been stilled. Feel the anticipation as all eyes are on Jesus to see what He is waiting for. Take a deep breath, come out of hiding, and let Him lock eyes with you. Remember He is the kind of Savior who will stop everything to see the one who wordlessly reaches out for Him.