Grace, Plagues and Wholeness

"And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague."

Mark 5:34 (KJV)

The wisdom of God is supremely superior to the wisdom of this world.  Believers who are partakers of God's grace and goodness have eyes that have been opened to perceive what was previously unknown by men and angels by the power of the Holy Spirit.  In Egypt God demonstrated His power over all the idols of the land by plagues, and in the New Testament God showed His authority and love by delivering people from them.  Who but God could have imagined a plague suffered over 12 years would be an impetus for woman to come to Jesus in faith?

The Gospel of Luke tells us this woman over a decade had become impoverished as she sought the aid of doctors who only made her physical condition worse.  This flow of blood made her ceremonially unclean to the Jews, cut her off from society and likely resulted in discomfort and fatigue.  Her aim was to be physically healed, but God's design was wholeness:  to heal her body from the plague, to save her soul and provide peace forever.  The severity of the plague was employed by God to draw her to Himself so she could experience spiritual wholeness that impacted body, heart, mind and soul.

It is important we realise God can and does use the painful and troubling situations of life to accomplish His good purposes and plans.  The death of Jesus on the cross reveals His redemptive power to take what Satan and wicked men intended for evil and turned it into an opportunity for salvation for all lost sinners.  Who are we to condemn God's means when He can achieve such ends?  We would foolishly avoid what is troubling and thus miss the miraculous opportunity for wholeness and perfect peace God stands waiting to provide by grace.  This passage and all of scripture affirms that in the worst situations of life, God's grace and mercy are not absent because He is always near to those who seek Him.

The woman could only think about being healed, and Jesus desired infinitely more than that.  Sometimes our best medicines and treatments are incapable of making a sick body or mind well; if left to our own devices not a single soul would be made whole or delivered from sin.  Praise be to God, for He who has the power to plague can restore health and bring wholeness.  Thus even in a plague or conflict that seems to have no end we can rejoice in the goodness of God and His grace to use it to draw us to Himself.