Partnering in Prayer - A Lenten Devotion - Day 20 - Pressing In

Day 20 – Monday
Pressing In

Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying (Luke 8:40-42 NIV).See the desperation in the hearts of Jairus, the crowds that are pressing in to touch the Master, and the woman with the issue of blood who “came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped (v. 44).” Do I approach Jesus with the same level of desire, the same sense of urgency? Do I say, as Jacob did, “I will not let you go unless you bless me (Genesis 32:26)?”

The result of pressing in to touch Jesus is healing. Power goes out from Him. It is a blessing that’s as immediate as getting electricity from a wall socket. Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me (Lk 8:46)." We don’t even have to ask for His power. We simply receive it. It is in His nature to give. The second blessing is when He speaks peace to our lives (v. 48). He even raises the dead.

But in order to receive any of it, you have to press in. Jairus could have stayed at home and simply hoped that Jesus would come his way. The woman with the issue of blood could have allowed the crowd to suppress her cries and keep her back. But sick as she was, she pressed forward to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. That’s what we do in prayer. We press in. We reach out. We fall on our face before Jesus and ask for His healing.

And Jesus never says “no.” Granted, He doesn’t always heal in the way we think He should. Sometimes He heals in a far greater way than we expect. Perhaps the woman was only looking for a small comfort, and she got full restoration. Jairus only asked for healing, and he got his daughter back from the dead. Sometimes a person’s body is so broken that Jesus gives them the ultimate healing, and takes them home to be with God. But He always heals. It’s in His nature to heal. It’s in His nature to give. All we need to do is press in.