Worthy Brief - September 30, 2026

 Worthy Brief - September 30, 2026

Healing in His wings! 

Luke 8:43-48 Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, 44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. 45 And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?' " 46 But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me." 47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. 48 And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace." 

The story of the persistent widow reminds us not to give up when answers take time. This woman shows us what faith looks like when it keeps going and pushes forward.

For twelve years, she lived with a condition that affected more than just her body. According to Leviticus 15:25, a woman with ongoing bleeding was considered ritually unclean.

Anyone she touched and anything she sat on became unclean. This meant twelve years away from the Temple, the community, and even simple hugs. Luke also tells us she spent all she had on doctors, but her condition only got worse.

Twelve years is a long time for disappointment to become normal. It’s long enough to stop hoping for change and to shape your whole life around what you can’t do.

Then she heard about Yeshua, and hope stirred in her again. "If only I may touch the hem of his garment, I shall be made well." That’s faith in action. She didn’t wait for the crowd to move or for the perfect time. She pushed forward.

Matthew and Luke say she touched the edge of His garment. Jewish Rabbis like Yeshua wore tzitzit (צִיצִת), tassels God told Israel to put on the four corners of their clothes to remember His commandments (Numbers 15:38-39). The Hebrew word for corner is kanaf (כָּנָף), which also means wing. Malachi says, "To you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings" (Malachi 4:2). The word there is kenafeha (כְּנָפֶיהָ), the wings of the Sun of Righteousness, the same word used for the corners of a garment.

The word kanaf has another meaning too. When Ruth lay at Boaz’s feet, she asked him to cover her with his kanaf, asking for protection and redemption (Ruth 3:9). The woman in the crowd was reaching for the same thing—a Redeemer’s covering over a life that had been exposed and ashamed for too long.

She wasn’t just reaching for cloth. She was reaching for Him.

Right away, Mark says, "the fountain of her blood was dried up" (Mark 5:29). That phrase comes from Leviticus, where the Torah talks about the mekor (מָקוֹר), the source of a woman’s blood (Leviticus 12:7). Jeremiah uses the same word for God, calling Him mekor mayim chayim (מְקוֹר מַיִם חַיִּים), the fountain of living waters (Jeremiah 2:13). For twelve years, one fountain had drained her life. However, when she touched the Fountain of Life, the old fountain stopped instantly. As with the leper, His holiness moved toward her, and her condition could not touch Him.

Then Yeshua stopped. "Who touched Me?" The disciples were surprised by the question because the crowd was pressing in on Him from all sides. Many people touched Him, but only one reached out in faith. That was the difference maker.

Yeshua did not let her leave without being seen. He called her forward, not to embarrass her, but to complete her healing. Then He spoke a word that healed her heart as much as her body: "Daughter," or bat (בַּת) in Hebrew. For twelve years, people saw her as unclean and apart. Yeshua gave her a new name in front of everyone. She belonged. She was family.

"Your faith has made you well" uses a word that means healed, saved, and made whole all at once. And "go in peace" would have sounded like lechi l'shalom (לְכִי לְשָׁלוֹם), which means to go in shalom — into wholeness, completeness, and a life in perfect peace again.

This is the same blessing Eli gave Hannah after her years of sorrow, just before God answered her prayer (1 Samuel 1:17). Yeshua did more than stop her bleeding. He gave her back her entire life — her dignity, her identity, and her future.

You are a daughter or son of the King, and His healing is close to you today. No matter what you have carried or how long it has lasted, the King is writing your story, and His ending is wholeness. So keep going. Move past disappointment, past the voices that say nothing will change, and past the memories of every failed attempt. Reach for the hem of His garment with new faith. The Sun of Righteousness has risen, and there is healing in His wings.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka 

Editor's Note: Our new book, Ashrei: The Blessed Life Revealed, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HK9M9JLC?linkCode=ssc&tag=worthy069-20&creativeASIN=B0HK9M9JLC&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.UQKHCLN0EXMSis here! Built from the Sermon on the Mount devotional series we shared in the Worthy Brief over the summer, many of those devotions have been revamped, expanded, and improved for this new release. This book explores every area of the believer’s life and reveals what it means to truly thrive by walking in the way of God’s blessing. Pick up your copy today, share one with a friend, and when you finish, we’d be grateful if you would leave a review!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Charles Spurgeon's "Faith's Checkbook" Devotional for January 1

Wayside Chapel Daily Devotional 1st January 2026