Tenacity
"Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well." ~ Mark 6:56 (NKJV)
Tenacity means to cling to a belief without doubting. It is a set kind of faith, a determination that doesn't waver. It takes a lot of tenacity to believe for a healing touch when we are sick, when our physical bodies suggest hopelessness, when we have waited a long time.
But our Father made divine healing a commodity through Jesus. In the marketplaces—the center of business—divine healings were common and useful for building people's faith and winning souls, for setting people free from the bondage of disease, for restoring them to productivity and for the purpose of spreading the good news. Miraculous wonders of healing were evidence that Jesus was who He said He was.
Hebrews 13:8 enlightens us that "Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Indeed, He heals today. His power hasn't changed since He walked through marketplaces full of sick people on earth. Still, all we need is one touch from Him.
Tenacious faith is exhibited profoundly in the testimony of the woman with the issue of blood (Matthew 9:20). The Bible tells us that she was sick for 12 years. We don't know at what rate blood drained out of her body, but we do know that blood is life. Surely, her faith was tested as she felt the very life drain out of her.
But, according to the Amplified Bible, she kept saying to herself, "If I only touch His garment, I shall be restored to health" (Matthew 9:21). Her declarations of divine truth built her faith and determination above her natural circumstances, which kept her going to the point of receiving complete healing. Touching the hem of Jesus' garment brings perfect restoration to people (Matthew 14:36). But we must journey forth, reach out and connect.
Jeremiah 29:11-14 tells us that when we seek Him with all of our heart, we will find Him. And in His presence, His hem is available to us.
To be sure, Jesus heals in many ways, and, I believe, in His appointed time. Like salvation, healing is a faith journey extended from the very heart of God's love, grace and mercy. But do we have the tenacity to see it through? How deep and how far are we willing to journey in our commitment to the kind of faith that brings life and restoration?
Surely, God has called us to tenacious faith. Do we humbly present or "lay" people from our assigned workplaces before Jesus? Do we desperately beseech Him for a healing touch? Do we have a heart for others to be healed, a heart for doing the work of Jesus?
So often, the Lord has shown me that when I step out in faith and pray for the restoration of others, He rewards me by caring for my needs. Tenacity is about selflessness. It is about choosing to believe the truth of God's divine precepts over natural circumstances. And it's about taking courage to journey forth with Jesus no matter what.
Regarding divine healing, tenacity allows us to confront and overcome all root causes of diseases, such as unforgiveness and other unconfessed sin. It keeps us going to completion.
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (Jn 14:6). Won't you bring life to someone in your workplace through a tenacious heart for Jesus?
Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ. This devotional was adapted from Margaret's forthcoming book, Enduring Grace. All rights reserved.
