May 16
Reaching for Faith
in the Hardest Times
“A woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years.
She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had.
But instead of getting better, she grew worse.
When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothes.
She thought, ‘I just need to touch his clothes.
Then I will be healed.’”
Mark 5:25-34, NIrV
Geoff sat in the dimly lit hospital waiting room, his hands gripping a Styrofoam cup of coffee that had long since gone cold. Across from him, Belinda stared at the floor, her face a mask of exhaustion and sorrow. Their daughter, Leah, lay in the ICU, her body sustained by machines but her fate uncertain.
“Geoff, how much longer can we keep doing this?” Belinda whispered, breaking the silence. Her voice cracked under the weight of her question.
“I don’t know,” Geoff replied, his voice heavy with anguish. “Every time I pray, I feel like I’m reaching for something I can’t quite touch.”
The doctors had given them little hope. Leah’s condition had worsened despite every medical intervention. Geoff and Belinda had spent countless nights praying for a miracle, but each day seemed to bring more questions than answers.
One evening, Belinda opened her Bible and read the story of the woman who reached out to touch Jesus’ cloak. Tears streamed down her face as she whispered, “What if we’re being called to reach out in faith, no matter how impossible things seem?”
The next day, Geoff and Belinda stood by Leah’s bedside. Her face was pale, and the rhythmic hum of the ventilator filled the room. Belinda took her daughter’s hand and whispered, “Leah, we don’t know what God’s plan is, but we’re going to trust Him, no matter what.”
They prayed together, pouring out their pain and their hope to God. For the first time in weeks, a sense of peace washed over them—not because they knew what would happen, but because they had chosen to put their trust in Jesus, just as the woman in the Bible had.
In the days that followed, they felt a subtle change in their hearts. While Leah’s condition remained critical, Geoff and Belinda found strength in their faith. They decided to seek a second opinion from a specialist, not out of desperation but out of a renewed hope that God was guiding their steps.
One evening, as Geoff prayed alone in the hospital chapel, he felt a quiet reassurance in his heart. It wasn’t an answer, but it was enough. God was with them, no matter the outcome.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
We thank You for Your unfailing love, even in the hardest moments of our lives.
Like the woman who reached out to touch Jesus’ cloak, help us to reach for You in faith, even when the circumstances feel hopeless.
Lord, we pray for families like Geoff and Belinda, who face impossible decisions.
Give them strength, wisdom, and peace as they trust in Your plan.
Remind us that You are present in our pain and that Your love is a constant source of comfort.
We surrender our fears and uncertainties to You, knowing that You hold our future in Your hands.
May we walk in faith, trusting that Your will is always good.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
