A woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better, she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. (Mark 5:25-29)

This woman pursued Jesus in a crowd. It was a risky venture for a weak woman who wasn’t usually around people. But she took the risk because she wanted to be released from the pain, loneliness, and weariness, and she trusted Jesus would be able to release her.

He did.

We all want to be released from something, because we’re suffering physically, emotionally, or spiritually. The woman who had been bleeding for twelve years must have been desperate. She was isolated, ostracized, and likely exhausted and weak from incessant bleeding.

Sometimes we need to pursue Jesus, asking and trusting Him to release us of something. We must be active in our pursuit of Him and confident in our faith in Him. Other times, we need to accept when God wants something in our lives instead of release from it. We still must be active in our pursuit of Him and confident in our faith in Him.