Daily Devotional for Wednesday, January 14

The Power of Jesus

“And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all,” Luke 6:19.

If you have ever read any of the books on the languages of love, you know that people feel and express love in different ways. I do not believe that these books should be used as doctrine or that they are the only true guide on how to love people, but I do believe that we can gain insight on our differences as humans and have a starting point for communication. One of the supposed languages is physical touch. When I took the inventory years ago, to no one’s surprise, physical touch was my lowest scoring category. I like to have personal space and even prefer to wave goodbye at a distance than hug people I have known for years, but like it or not, God used physical touch throughout the Bible to demonstrate His power. They were taught to lay hands whether it was in prayer, to create a vow, to offer a sacrifice or to use the power of the Holy Spirit.

After officially naming the twelve apostles from His group of followers, Jesus went back to the crowd that had gathered to hear Him and be healed. People came from neighboring towns and villages to see this man about whom they had heard. Being God, Jesus could have easily spoken a word and healed everyone at once. He chose instead to heal each one individually, a beautiful picture of the one-on-one relationship we are to have with Him. People came possessed with demons, covered in diseases and suffering from different ailments. He took the time to heal each and every one of them. All who heard about Jesus knew that if they could just touch Him, they would be healed. With each touch, supernatural power flowed through Him and cleansed all manner of affliction. Notice that this power never ran dry because He is the source of all power.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

In our weakness, He is strong. In our time of need, He is healing. In our despair, He is hope.

Ashley Ridings