Next we see that she was distracted. This woman should have been busy raising a family. Instead o being fruitful she had become self-absorbed, focusing on her own needs and problems, having little time for anything else. No longer could she meet the needs of those around her. Instead she was running from one physician to the next trying to find a cure for her own troubles.
How much time, money, and energy does the average church or believer spend on seeking to meet the needs of those around them? We too have become distracted with ourselves and our own needs. We have lost sight of our calling. Most of our resources are used to alleviate our own ailments. I realize that there are some exceptions, but generally speaking, this is not an unfair assessment.
If there is one positive note in the story so far is has to be that she was "desperate". She refused to take no for an answer. We don't find her going home to die. Something within her kept her going. Perhaps it was the testimonials of friends or neighbors who had "discovered" a new cure being advocated by the new doctor in town. Again she made her appointment, hoping this time what had worked for others would also satisfy her needs as well. Finally her day arrived. She couldn't wait. After all, she had had such great references from friends and family. But after being subjected to the usual battery of tests, she came away poorer, yes, not just physically but also financially. The Bible descriptively states, "She ... was not helped at all" (Mark 5:26).
Like the woman in this story, I, too, have observed over the past 39 years of ministry the Church running from seminar to seminar, from expert to expert, hoping that somehow they might discover the "magic potion" that would raise them from the bed of sickness. I've watched as smaller nations have spent thousands flying in some overseas speaker for a national conference in hopes of discovering his secrets to success. it is not a result of not trying but that of sheer and mounting desperation. Someone has to have the answer.
Finally, we discover that she was "deceived" - deceived into thinking that man had the answer to her situation. Let's face it, these men were experts in medicine - doctors, if you like. Unfortunately, they didn't have the power to set her free and rather than lightening her load, they increased it by making things worse. There she was - depleted physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually, and also financially. Her condition had cut her off from the house of God. Her friends who were fading fast could not touch her for fear of becoming unclean. She might as well have been a leper. Now after 12 years of searching for a cure, she was at her wits' end. The Bible said she "had spent all that she had ..." (Mark 5:26).
Not unlike this woman, the Church has been deceived into thinking that man holds the answer to her needs. I've observed over the years the Church making her rounds of the doctors' offices seeking help. Allow me to introduce you to a few of them - although I'm sure you've sat in their offices yourself at sometime or another.
Let's begin with Dr. Self-Help. His diagnosis reveals that you have a self-image problem, low self-esteem - perhaps a failure mentality. He suggests that you make an appointment with his partner, Dr. Confession. This expert picks up from where the previous doctor ended, prescribing a series of "verses" that if taken daily will do wonders for the immune system, restoring it back to health. You have to admit that this is a great improvement from "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can." After weeks or months of treatments you still feel as though something is wrong or missing. It's then that you hear about Dr. Inner Healing. This doctor, we are told, looks beyond the present symptoms and looks to the root of the problem. Sure enough, he finds some long forgotten "hurt" that has caused the tree to grow crooked. Now finally you are on the right track. it has nothing to do with you but rather the way you were raised. You're feeling better already - after all, it's not your fault!
Dr. Inner Healing in his loving, compassionate way suggests that just to be sure you've covered all the bases you should see his associate, Dr. Generational Sins. His expertise, you are told, goes beyond "your" problems and deals with your "family tree." Well now that he mentions it you can think of several serious issues without even beginning to delve into the murky waters of the past. First there is you mother and her controlling spirit, then your father's past association with his father - not to mention your uncle's alcoholic problems and your grandmother's addiction to gambling. Well, after numerous visits to Dr. Generational Sins, you begin to grasp that your problems are not really yours. "My father ate sour grapes" and it caused "my teeth to be set on edge."
Just like this woman the Church has made the rounds from one wind of doctrine to the next. The list is almost endless. Dr. Faith had his day in the sun but was soon replaced by Dr. Prosperity. Some recent additions to the medical staff include Dr. Prophetic and his up and coming friend, Dr. Apostolic has the cure for almost all our "ills". He is presently receiving almost unprecedented press and appearing at conferences all over the place.
We need to keep in mind that the reason these doctors stay in business is that they do have the occasional "miracle." Not everything they prescribe is wrong. The problem is that most of these doctors have tunnel vision, and think that their particular cure holds the answer to every "sickness."
The Bible tells us this woman "suffered much." She had made the rounds, and instead of being helped, had grown worse. "And hearing about Jesus," she was delivered and delighted. Finally after 12 long years of suffering when she had spent all she had, sh heard about Jesus. Church, it's time we heard about Jesus again!
The Lord longs for His Bride to become healthy and fruitful, to be delivered of her soul-sickness and delighted in Him again.
~David Ravenhill~
(continued with # 3)
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