Just one amidst the crowd! There are times in my life when I feel like a “no name,” just one amidst a large busy, clamoring crowd. I can feel that I have no outstanding characteristics or status that would draw anyone’s eye to me, let alone God’s eye. I feel I am just one, mixed in among the many, who seek being known, who seek God’s attention.

In Mark 5:24-34, we read the account of a woman who suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years, and her condition was growing worse.  Her status was low in her culture; she was a woman, and she was considered an outcast because of her continuous flow of blood (Leviticus 15:25-31).

One day she placed herself in a crowd of people who were seeking Jesus. This woman should not have even been within that crowd of people, because by her culture’s standard she was considered unclean. Yet, there she was, an unknown, unvalued, considered unclean, a face packed into the multitude.

Words that stand out to me in this passage are:  a great crowd followed Him; suffered for many years; growing worse; heard about Jesus; came up from behind Him in the crowd; touched His garment; felt the healing in her body; came before Him trembling; and He said “daughter.”

 No Qualifying Status
This woman was an outcast in her community because she had the continual flow of blood. She had no title, position of honor or respect. It is likely, that even her family rejected her. She had everything that would push people away, but nothing to draw people to her.

1. It is an interesting contrast that the Holy Spirit records for us in this passage. Jesus was walking through the crowd on His way to heal the daughter of a man of status, title, and reputation, Jairus, one of the rulers of the local synagogue. Jairus was accepted in his community and regarded with honor. He was viewed as entitled to receive the attention and help of Jesus. Notice Jairus is referred to by name, but the “bleeding woman” is not. She is a no name, just a face in the crowd, not worth the time of day.

There are moments when I am calling out to God that I think, “Who am I? What do I have to bring that merits God’s attention to me?”  This story gives me a right perspective on the all-encompassing love of God, and how He views the value of each one of us, of each face in the crowd.

Down Low but Seen by Jesus
This woman knew she was viewed as an outcast. She may even have identified herself as that. Yet she had heard reports of Jesus, who He is and the power He has. She heard of this Son of God healing and restoring people’s lives, setting them free from their bondage. Her desperation, hope and faith moved her through the crowd to Jesus.

While she had faith, she approached Jesus with full understanding of her poverty of status and of spirit. Mark 5:27 states, “she heard of the reports of Jesus and came up from behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.” This woman just wanted to be in reach out touching distance.

What humility! What faith! This woman did not even stand face to face to plead her cause. She did not show her face so that Jesus could see her deep desire, the desperation and sadness written on her face. She did not cling to his hand and pull on Him! She approached from behind and stretched out her hand to touch His clothing! And Jesus, God in the flesh, sensed her presence, stopped, and looked for her in the crowd.

Seeing with Different Eyes
The scripture says that God/Jesus stopped and turned around in the crowd! He asked to see and meet who touched Him (Mk. 5:30). His disciples discouraged His knowing her, but Jesus persisted. Jesus took the time to look for her.

The scripture says that “he kept looking around” to see her (Mk. 5:32). The woman was healed the moment she touched Jesus’ garment. She knew it; she trembled in awe and fear. Jesus knew it and turned to see her.

Jesus looked at her with different eyes than the others. He did not have the censoring eyes of the religious community. He did not have the eyes of social superiority, even though He is God. He did not have the selfish apathetic eyes of the world. Jesus has the eyes of God, the eyes of welcoming love and kindness.

Jesus did not see this woman the way the crowds saw her, or even how she saw herself. Jesus did not look for her status, the titles behind her name, her position in the social or religious community, her connections, her list of achievements, her outer beauty, her age, or her appearance. Jesus saw a woman of faith, a woman in need of help and lifting-up.

Up to this point in the story, the woman had no name, and was on the fringe of acceptance in her community; but Jesus addressed her as “daughter,” a term of endearment and belonging.

I see this incredible scene amidst the multitude, the woman trembling with joy and fear, on her knees. I see Jesus turning his body fully towards her. Jesus reaching out his hand, helping her up, looking into her eyes, while tenderly saying “daughter!”

The Same Love for You
If today, you are feeling like “just” another face in the crowd, feeling uncherished, and not valued, stop because that is a lie! Look at truths in the scriptures which reveal God’s love and valuing of us. Do not rely on your own view of yourself, it is tainted. Don’t rely on the reactions and responses to you from others, because their view is tainted.

Study the scriptures and See God’s View of You
Read Mark 5:24-34 again. Put yourself in the scene as the bleeding woman. See His love. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow Hebrews 13:8.  You are not “just a blurred face in the crowd” to Jesus. You are valued and cherished by Jesus. He sees you.

God knew we would have difficulty seeing and grasping His love. I believe that is why the Spirit recorded and preserved Paul’s prayer for the believers in Eph.3.  This is a good prayer for us to pray for others and ourselves.

“May you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:18-19

(Updated 7/24- Categories: Prayer and Intimacy with God)

Prayer is crucial to developing intimacy with God.  Engaging in prayer shows our desire to be in a genuine relationship with God.  There are many facets to prayer which lead us deeper into knowing God. The scriptures themselves help us understand how to pray; what to pray for; how God’s character is the basis for our faith and how His character reveals ways we interact with Him.

The “teach me/us” passages in the Bible lead us to pray in humility and dependence on God. When we ask God in prayer to teach us, we are opening ourselves up to God working His will in us. Asking God to “teach us” reveals if our heart is willing to surrender to God, Surrender is a foundational building block for developing intimacy.

Asking God to “teach us” comes from a humble heart that recognizes our need for God’s wisdom and help. It leads us to interact with God as close friends, and as His children.

Teach Us
The concept of God teaching us is throughout the scriptures. “Teach me, teach us,” expressions are throughout the text of the Bible.

In scripture we see numerous references to different things that men and women of God asked Him to teach them. Presented below are a few of these requests.

Teach Us Your Ways
Moses was a man of great intimacy with God, so much so that scripture reports that Moses face was radiant with light, reflecting the glory of God, when he returned from a time with God. Later in Moses’ life, after walking with God, gaining much knowledge about God and his law; and having many experiences, we still see Moses asking God to teach him.

If we look at the context, Moses seems to connect being taught by God with growing deeper in an intimate relationship with God.

In Exodus 33 Moses asks God to be able to see God. In a sense, Moses is asking God to teach him more about who God is. God answers Moses’ prayer by passing before Moses and allowing him to see the back of God’s glory.

Moses seems to have a deep relationship with God, yet he wants to know God more and prays to see Him more clearly and deeply. We see that even though Moses walked fervently with God, he knew he had more to learn and asked God to teach him. In Exodus 33:13, Moses prays,

“If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” Ex. 33:13

 King David understood the need to be taught the ways of God, the ways God wants man to live. In Psalm 25:4-5 David asked God to teach him God’s ways and guide him. This concept of guiding implies a continual teaching and leading, not just a one-time experience. David connects learning from God with salvation.

“Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; all day long I wait for You.” Ps. 25:4-5

Teach Us Integrity of Heart
David, who the scripture describes as a man after God’s own heart, shows humility by asking God to teach him His ways. David wants to know truths about God, His character, and His will (way), so that David can apply God’s truth to his life and relationship with God.

David asks God to teach him His ways and  to have integrity of heart.

 “Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart
to fear your name.” Ps. 86:11

Our hearts are scattered by our seeking things for ourselves, such as power, position, titles, influence, relationships, or possessions. We can tend to seek these over God and over loving other people. It is important to ask God to teach us to have a oneness of heart that values God and other people. Our fleshly nature hinders us in having this integrity. Is not this in line with the 2 great commandments: loving God with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength; and loving one another as Jesus loved us?

Teach Us to Follow You, God
It is difficult for me to understand the power of my own self will, but I am learning it is strong. I can misidentify self-will as creative thinking; as exercising freedom, or as merely seeking excellence in my performance.

Jesus understood the power of the “self,” and the need to be taught how to do God’s will. He knew it would be the thing that hinders us in following Him. So, Jesus commanded: “Then Jesus said His to disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Mt.16:24

King David understood the need to learn to follow God’s leading. David asked God to teach him to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit.

“Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” Psalm 143:10

Teach Us How to Live
When King Solomon dedicated the temple to God, he prayed a prayer asking God for many things for the people. One thing he asked was for God to teach the people how to live.

“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.” 2 Chronicles 6:26-27

King Solomon was given great knowledge and wisdom by God (1 Kings 4:29-31). If this man prayed for God to teach his people how to live, perhaps we would do well to follow his example.

Teach Us to Pray
The disciples of Jesus saw the close relationship that Jesus had with the Father and so, they asked Jesus to “teach them to pray.”

“One day, in a place where Jesus had just finished praying, one of His disciples requested, “Lord teach us to pray”  . . .  So Jesus told them, ‘When you pray, say’ …” Luke 11: 1-2

We notice that the disciples did not ask to have power to do signs and wonders. They did not ask for renown and reputation, or to be honored by men. The disciples saw the intimacy that Jesus had with the Father and they wanted to that kind of relationship with the Father.

Let’s Get Humble and Ask God to Teach Us
It is my conviction that as we relate to God and seek deeper levels of intimacy we will pray “teach me” prayers. As for me, these are some things I will ask God to teach me. As you can see from my list, I have much to learn.

• teach me to see the pride and arrogance in my heart that leads me to do my own will;
• teach me to trust God and wait on Him to work even in difficult and seemingly unfair situations;
• teach me to listen to God; and to walk in step with His Spirit;
• teach me to be more alert and aware of opportunities to obey God throughout each day;
• teach me to see God’s value in me and others;
• teach me to do the word of God and not just read it or hear it or agree with it;
• teach me to love others the way Jesus did;
• teach me to have a pure heart and a deep sense of honesty in all I do and say;
• teach me how to speak God’s truth to others without harming them or being self-righteous.

What will you ask God to teach you? Please give this much consideration. Pray and note how this is deepening your intimacy with God.