Jesus Sees You (Mark 5:32)

And he looked around to see who had done it. (Mark 5:32) 

Now obviously this verse needs a little bit of context, but this is the story about a woman who the Bible says in Mark 5:25 had “a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse” (v. 26). Just think about how frustrating, discouraging, depressing, how much despair there would be in having physical struggle. And you spend everything you have going to doctors, and you’re worse at the end. So you still have the physical struggle, and now you have nothing. And she hears about Jesus as crowds are following him. “A great crowd followed him.” And so she says, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well” (v. 28). And so she does. She touches his garment and “immediately,” verse 29 says, “the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body she was healed of her disease.”

So Jesus stops, the Bible says, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, and turns around in this big crowd and says, “Who touched my garments?” And the disciples are like, “Everybody is touching your garments. The whole crowd around you is touching you. They’re pressing in on you and you’re saying, ‘Who touched me?'”

Mark 5:32 Teaches Us That Jesus Sees You in the Crowd

And that’s where we get to verse 32: “He looked around to see who had done it.” And right after this in verse 33, the woman “knowing what had happened to her,” comes in fear and trembling, falls down before Jesus, tells him the whole story. And he says to her “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your disease” (v. 34).

And there’s so much to love about this story, but the one truth that I want to point out here, and lead us to pray according to, is the reality that when you are in need and you come to Jesus, you have his attention. He sees you. This is astounding to me, that amidst 8 billion people in the world, and all kinds of needs, that when I come to Jesus this morning, he sees me and he knows my needs. He knows what’s heavy on my heart. He knows what has led me to a place of despair. He knows what is frustrating or challenging or discouraging in my life. He sees me amidst the crowd, and he ministers to me. And the good news is, it’s not just me. This is you. And I hope and pray you feel this in a fresh way today amidst whatever is going on in your life. Bring it to Jesus. He sees you. He knows you. He knows your whole story. He knows the circumstances of what you’re walking through better than you do. And He loves you. He loves you. The One who sees you truly knows you completely, and he is able to heal you wholly.

Mark 5 Teaches Us That We Are Known Fully and Loved Completely

And obviously I can’t guarantee, and the Bible doesn’t guarantee, that this or that in your circumstance will immediately change just like it did for this woman. It might; it might. But even if it doesn’t, we have all of these promises—a book filled with promises from God—that he will be faithful to you; and he will lead you through this; and he will bring ultimate healing and redemption.

And so we pray, God, thank you for seeing us truly and knowing us completely amidst all that we’re walking through right now. I just pray for people who are walking through particularly challenging times, discouraging times, even depressing times, despairing moments. God, I pray that they would know in a fresh way right now about your Spirit through your Word, that you see them and you love them; that you know them; and that you are working in their lives, in the circumstances, in ways far beyond what they can see. And you’re working for their good. We know this based on your Word, Oh God.

The One Who Heals and Redeems

So I pray that you would help us to feel this in a fresh way today. And we ask, God, we ask with faith for your healing. We ask with faith for resolution. We ask with faith for redemption. We ask with faith for your help. And we trust you will help; you will provide in every way we need; and you will work in ways far beyond what we can imagine for our good and for your glory. And so we say, “Do it.”

Oh, God, we bring our needs to you, full of faith in you, and we pray for your help. And we praise you as the One who sees us and ministers to us, and not just us. God, we want to bring others before you right now in prayer. We want to bring people around us in our lives who are hurting. We want to pray for your help for them. We want to intercede for people we know who are walking through challenges. Please, oh God, help them; meet them at their point of need; draw them to yourself; help them to see that you love them and care for them and are for them.

And, God, we want to bring people we don’t even know to you. Along those lines, for the Tai Khun people of Myanmar, for 130,000 Buddhist men, women, and children. Amidst the Tai Khun of Myanmar, amidst civil war there, God, we pray: please draw Tai Khun men, women, children to yourself—that they might know you, the One who is able to heal them completely for all of eternity. Oh, God, we pray all of this before you, the One who sees us, truly knows us completely, and is able to heal us wholly. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.