His Power Gives Courage
And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace."
- Luke 8:48
Everyone wanted a piece of Jesus. But a determined father named Jairus had a daughter who was on the brink of death, and he begged Jesus to come to his house. As they made their way to Jairus' home, the crowd pushed and pulled and screamed and yelled.
In that crowd was a woman with some type of physical ailment, and she thought Jesus could heal her if she could only reach him. She bled constantly, and because of that, she had been decreed unclean under the ceremonial law. She spent all of her money trying to find a cure. Ostracized and isolated, she lived in loneliness. She thought, But if I could just touch the hem of His garment, I will be healed. So as Jesus walked through the crowd, she managed to get her hand through and touch the hem of His garment.
Suddenly Jesus stopped and said, "Who touched Me?"
Everyone denied it, and the Bible tells us that Peter and the others said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?' " In other words, Who didn't touch You? Everyone touched You!
But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."
So the crowd parted, and there stood the woman. She probably thought Jesus would rebuke her or humiliate her or embarrass her. But instead He told her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well."
"Be of good cheer" also could be translated, "Be of good courage." Jesus was saying, "I want to commend you for your faith and put it on display for everyone else to see."
In this case, His power gave courage. And His power will be there to help you in your time of need.