And immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that power from Him had gone out, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman, fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be cured of your disease.”

In our culture, we use the word “wish” a lot to indicate what we hope will happen. We make wishes on birthday candles or send a bride and groom our best wishes. A certain level of blind optimism goes with a wish; we have no guarantee that things will unfold as we wish. But faith is so much more than a wish on a star; it is an anchored hope in the eternal God. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen.” This is what this woman had as she approached Jesus. She had more than wishful thinking, she had an anchored hope in who Jesus was as the Healer and Redeemer of all. Even in her dark circumstances, in a crowded space, she looked to Jesus with hope and certainty that He was the One she needed.

What is your heart’s posture when you seek Jesus in your struggles? Do you seek Him with wishful thinking for better circumstances or a quick solution? Or do you seek Him confident that He is the way, the truth, the life, and the one that you need in the middle of your problems? Our faith is more than figuring out the to-do list or what is next, our God asks us to invite Him in, seek Him and find Him in our lives. Regardless of how big or small the situation may be, it is time to look to God in our troubles with more than wishful thinking. Instead, we can face them with faith, a confidence that He will be with us and is sovereign in every situation—even when it hurts.

• What does it look like to approach God with faith in Him?
• How has God helped you when you have struggled with little faith?
• Pray and ask God to grow your confidence and faith in Him and help you turn to Him in your struggles, big and small.