Grabbing God’s Attention
Luke 8:40-48
I remember when I was a little boy – I mean when I was a young boy – because I was never little – when my family went to the beach. It was not the first time we ever went to the beach, but you have to understand that the place where I come, the beach is a few hours travel, so it was not very often that we could go, and whenever we would go, it is almost always a big event. So imagine the excitement and the thrill we all felt as we went to the beach. My mother, in the midst of all the excitement warned us never to wander away or to go too far for anything could happen to us – we might get lost, drown or something. She told us to always stay at the shallow portion of the beach. But being the boy that I was, I wanted adventure. I knew I could do it – I knew I could try out and go into the deep. Anyway, I have the biggest inflated tire interior to help float me up. It looked solid. It looked as if it could take me very far and I would be safe. Big mistake. Going further that I have ever been, a big wave came, and easily overturned the interior. I fell into the water, and the water was too deep! I shouted for help. I struggled. I was sinking fast! Panic set in. I can see the shore. I can where my parents were, but I was too far away. They can’t see me. They can’t hear me even if I shouted. There was just no way I can get their attention! It was a good thing an alert swimmer saw me and rescued me. For a moment there, I thought I was a goner! For a moment there, my life was in danger – I was sinking – and no one noticed. No one saw. For a moment there, I thought I was alone in my struggle, and even if I sunk no one would have known until it was too late.
You ever feel that way? Ever feel as if you are sinking? Ever feel as if the waves are drowning you, overpowering you and shout loudly as you might, you feel no one hears- no one cares? You struggle – you put up a fight – and you know you are fighting a losing battle, and no one sees – no one pays attention. Ever had those times? Ever experience those pains? It’s as if you have gone invisible. It’s as if you are in a fog of haze, you are alone. You stay up late in the night, unable to sleep. You think of what-should-have-been, what-could-have-been, and a deep sense of regret fill you. The physical pain you are suffering is not getting any better – in fact it is getting worse, and the doctors are not certain about your progress. Your marriage is falling apart, and all you could do is to desperately cling to the broken pieces and you feel it slowly slip out of your hand. The deadline for your debt is drawing nearer and nearer and you see no way out, or see any solution. The ministry you once thought held so much promise, so much potential have turned out to be the hardest, the most difficult, the most humiliating you could ever imagine. And now, you are at the end of your ropes. You are abandoned.
You shout at God – you plead – you raise your voice, your fist, and what you get is silence. You feel God has turned away from you. You feel that He has left you, and you want to grab His attention – you want to call out to Him and you hope He hears you- you pray that He sees you and notices you. If only God would pay attention. If only God would just turn His gaze your way. If only God would do something – anything!
Is there a way out? How does one grab God’s attention? Is it ever possible to be noticed by a God so big, so lofty, which created and holds the universe in His hands? Will God ever turn His gaze upon us – unworthy worms that we are? The answer is yes. The answer is a definite yes.
We see this as we recall the incident with the woman who was hemorrhaging, a woman at the end of her rope, a woman who had nothing but a strong faith and a willingness to draw near to Jesus. Here was this woman – ceremonially unclean – dirty- disgusting. No one should touch her nor should she touch anybody. No one should be near her nor should she be near anyone. And the years of humiliation, years of rejection have taken a toll on her – on her emotions, on her finances. She was desperate. All she had was a hunch, a feeling – a hope- that if she could somehow see Jesus, if she could somehow touch even just the hem of Jesus’ clothes, she would be healed. We don’t really know why she thought that, but it was her faith that drove her. It was her unwavering belief that Jesus can do something, will do something.
And so even in a crowd where she was not suppose to mix in, in a place where condemnation might be hurled at her, she went near Jesus and reached out a hand. As soon as she touched Jesus’ hem, she was healed! The bleeding has stopped. Power has flowed and reached her. Amazing. Yet what is more amazing is that Jesus noticed. Jesus paid attention. Jesus knew that someone needed Him
You have to remember that at this time, Jesus was on his way to heal the daughter of an important man. The little girl was dying, and He had to hurry. He should not be delayed. He had something to do – He was “busy.” You also need to remember the crowd – there was jostling and pushing and general chaos. It was difficult to move in the crowd, much more notice each one who was there. And yet, when the woman touched His hem, the moment that woman reached out to Him, He noticed. He stopped, and talked with her.
We learn here, first of all, that God is willing to pause and take notice of whoever needs Him, whoever calls out to Him. He is not too busy, He is not too preoccupied, and He is not too filled with appointments and must-do lists that He will not take time to listen, to stop and turn His attention to any of us who needs Him. God provides an ever-open door, a welcome that never runs out – a time that does not have limits or quotas. He will take time. He will not ignore any of us. He will not brush us aside just because He has other things to do.
No one is too inconsequential – no one is too far away or too dirty or too unworthy that God would not notice any of us. Wala sinuman ang di nakikita ng Diyos o di niya mapansin. Walang pinipili ang Diyos. Walang maliit o walang sino man na walang kabuluhan na hindi niya paguukulan nga kanyang kalinga o pagtingin. Lepers would call out to Jesus, and He would draw near because of their cries. Blind men would grope their way toward Him and they will discover that Jesus has made his way toward them too. The lame would stumble, crawl, call out to Him and He would stoop down and bend for those who have fallen, those who are put down by the circumstances, those who have stumbled and laid low by the blows of life. He would stretch out His hands to heal, to draw in, and to welcome anyone who would come to Him. He would run to meet the returning prodigal. Tatangapin niya ang bawat nangungulila, ang bawat bigo at sawi sa buhay, ang mga iniwan at mga tinalikuran. This is the kind of God we serve. This is the kind of God we love. We are not just faces in the crowd – we are not just anonymous bodies out there – we are not just people without names, without any identity. He sees us. He notices us. He knows us.
What this means is that in our desperation, in the hour of our greatest need, even when we feel we have been abandoned or ignored, we are comforted. God is with us. He sees us. He notices us. Even when everything seems to going wrong, even when we face the most difficult ministries and even in personal defeat and failures, we can rest in the thought that God does not ignore us. He knows our names, He knows our deepest secrets and earnest dreams, and He will reach out to touch us.
Secondly, we learn that God is sensitive to our needs. We often think of God as aloof – uncaring – distant. We often think that we have to shout at God so that He would notice us, so that He will pay attention. So we hesitate. We doubt if God would ever hear us or listen to the desires of our hearts. We think we are too far away. We think God would not take time. We sometimes do not think we have what it takes for God to hear us, for God to know our needs.
We have become sophisticated with our theology. Ang dami na nating alam tungkol sa doktrina, tungkol sa buhay Kristiano. Marami na sa atin ang eksperto sa gawain – sa pag-preach, sa pag counseling, kung paano mangaral, ngunit minsan mahirap pa ring tanggaping sapat na sa Diyos na tayo ay tumawag sa kanya at tayo ay babalingan niya ng pansin.
And yet this God has proven once more that it only takes a touch, a whisper, even a muffled cry for Him to turn His gaze and notice any one of us. The woman slowly, silently went near Him, and touched the hem of his garment, and yet she soon discovered that it was enough to catch Jesus’ attention, that slight touch did not go unnoticed. God felt it. God did not ignore it. Some of us would just do anything to gain attention – para mapansin, gagawin natin kung ano-ano. Nakakalimutan natin ang Diyos ay lgging handa para makinig sa ating mga hiling, sa ating mga pangangailangan, sa ating mga pasasalamat. Akala natin bingi ang Diyos. Akala natin tulog ang Diyos. Ngunit nakikita tayo ng Diyos, naririnig niya tayo. Nararamdaman niya ang paghipo natin sa laylayan ng kanyang damit. Ang ating pananalampalataya, ang ating taos-pusong paglapit sa kanya ay susuklian niya ng kanyang pagkinig, pagpansin, pagkalinga sa atin. Kaya wag tayong matakot – wag tayong mag-atubili, wag nating isiping di tayo nakikilala o kaya babale-walain ng Diyos. Bawat isa sa atin may halaga. Bawat isa sa atin ay kanyang bibigyan ng kanyang panahon.
Thirdly, we realize that when we encounter God, when God focuses His attention on us, healing takes place. Change happen. We become different. Wholeness, health, peace and joy fill us. As soon as the woman touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, her bleeding stopped. She was restored to health. She was made whole once more. The stigma is gone. The woman, strong in her faith, went to Jesus, believing that healing can take place in Him and sure enough, she received it. But the woman did not just receive physical healing. More importantly, her spirit was restored, renewed. “Your faith has made you well. Go in peace,” Jesus said. She knew that she has done something against the Law. She knew that she will receive the rebuke of her life when anybody has learned what she has done. This is why she wanted to keep it quiet. She preferred that no one knew what she has done, and yet Jesus felt her touch. Trembling, falling on her knees, she confessed what she has done. Full of fear, she told Jesus why she has done what she has done. Surprisingly, she was not condemned for what she did, she was not rebuked when she dared reach out and touch Jesus. Instead she was affirmed. Her faith was honored. Peace was given to her. Healing had taken place, not only in her physical body, but her spirit was restored as well.
We do not leave empty-handed. God’s loving attention will shape us, mold us, change us. We do not just get whatever it is we ask for. We are not just granted our most heartfelt prayers. God does more than just grant us our requests. He does more than that. He changes us. He transforms us. He gives to us not just what we think can bring us good, but He gives us more – He sees our real need, and He fills it with His grace and mercy. Whenever we come away from our encounter with Jesus we are left with renewed energy. A new sense of purpose, a change of heart, not just healing of the sick body and mind.
It is amazing to think that the God who holds the universe in His hands – the God who created the heavens and the earth, and whose strength and power knows no end, this God sees us – each one of us. He knows us. And we will not go unnoticed. We will not be just a face in the crowd, but a name, a life, a person that He is intimately involved with. He is not too busy or too preoccupied not to give us time. He will take time. He will stop and notice us. Even our hidden tears and secret longings, God knows, and He hears even our whispered prayers. He will notice. And when He does that, we are changed. He transforms us. He will mold us, He will affirm us, He will grant us peace. This is the kind of God we serve. This is the kind of God we love.
Luke 8:40-48
I remember when I was a little boy – I mean when I was a young boy – because I was never little – when my family went to the beach. It was not the first time we ever went to the beach, but you have to understand that the place where I come, the beach is a few hours travel, so it was not very often that we could go, and whenever we would go, it is almost always a big event. So imagine the excitement and the thrill we all felt as we went to the beach. My mother, in the midst of all the excitement warned us never to wander away or to go too far for anything could happen to us – we might get lost, drown or something. She told us to always stay at the shallow portion of the beach. But being the boy that I was, I wanted adventure. I knew I could do it – I knew I could try out and go into the deep. Anyway, I have the biggest inflated tire interior to help float me up. It looked solid. It looked as if it could take me very far and I would be safe. Big mistake. Going further that I have ever been, a big wave came, and easily overturned the interior. I fell into the water, and the water was too deep! I shouted for help. I struggled. I was sinking fast! Panic set in. I can see the shore. I can where my parents were, but I was too far away. They can’t see me. They can’t hear me even if I shouted. There was just no way I can get their attention! It was a good thing an alert swimmer saw me and rescued me. For a moment there, I thought I was a goner! For a moment there, my life was in danger – I was sinking – and no one noticed. No one saw. For a moment there, I thought I was alone in my struggle, and even if I sunk no one would have known until it was too late.
You ever feel that way? Ever feel as if you are sinking? Ever feel as if the waves are drowning you, overpowering you and shout loudly as you might, you feel no one hears- no one cares? You struggle – you put up a fight – and you know you are fighting a losing battle, and no one sees – no one pays attention. Ever had those times? Ever experience those pains? It’s as if you have gone invisible. It’s as if you are in a fog of haze, you are alone. You stay up late in the night, unable to sleep. You think of what-should-have-been, what-could-have-been, and a deep sense of regret fill you. The physical pain you are suffering is not getting any better – in fact it is getting worse, and the doctors are not certain about your progress. Your marriage is falling apart, and all you could do is to desperately cling to the broken pieces and you feel it slowly slip out of your hand. The deadline for your debt is drawing nearer and nearer and you see no way out, or see any solution. The ministry you once thought held so much promise, so much potential have turned out to be the hardest, the most difficult, the most humiliating you could ever imagine. And now, you are at the end of your ropes. You are abandoned.
You shout at God – you plead – you raise your voice, your fist, and what you get is silence. You feel God has turned away from you. You feel that He has left you, and you want to grab His attention – you want to call out to Him and you hope He hears you- you pray that He sees you and notices you. If only God would pay attention. If only God would just turn His gaze your way. If only God would do something – anything!
Is there a way out? How does one grab God’s attention? Is it ever possible to be noticed by a God so big, so lofty, which created and holds the universe in His hands? Will God ever turn His gaze upon us – unworthy worms that we are? The answer is yes. The answer is a definite yes.
We see this as we recall the incident with the woman who was hemorrhaging, a woman at the end of her rope, a woman who had nothing but a strong faith and a willingness to draw near to Jesus. Here was this woman – ceremonially unclean – dirty- disgusting. No one should touch her nor should she touch anybody. No one should be near her nor should she be near anyone. And the years of humiliation, years of rejection have taken a toll on her – on her emotions, on her finances. She was desperate. All she had was a hunch, a feeling – a hope- that if she could somehow see Jesus, if she could somehow touch even just the hem of Jesus’ clothes, she would be healed. We don’t really know why she thought that, but it was her faith that drove her. It was her unwavering belief that Jesus can do something, will do something.
And so even in a crowd where she was not suppose to mix in, in a place where condemnation might be hurled at her, she went near Jesus and reached out a hand. As soon as she touched Jesus’ hem, she was healed! The bleeding has stopped. Power has flowed and reached her. Amazing. Yet what is more amazing is that Jesus noticed. Jesus paid attention. Jesus knew that someone needed Him
You have to remember that at this time, Jesus was on his way to heal the daughter of an important man. The little girl was dying, and He had to hurry. He should not be delayed. He had something to do – He was “busy.” You also need to remember the crowd – there was jostling and pushing and general chaos. It was difficult to move in the crowd, much more notice each one who was there. And yet, when the woman touched His hem, the moment that woman reached out to Him, He noticed. He stopped, and talked with her.
We learn here, first of all, that God is willing to pause and take notice of whoever needs Him, whoever calls out to Him. He is not too busy, He is not too preoccupied, and He is not too filled with appointments and must-do lists that He will not take time to listen, to stop and turn His attention to any of us who needs Him. God provides an ever-open door, a welcome that never runs out – a time that does not have limits or quotas. He will take time. He will not ignore any of us. He will not brush us aside just because He has other things to do.
No one is too inconsequential – no one is too far away or too dirty or too unworthy that God would not notice any of us. Wala sinuman ang di nakikita ng Diyos o di niya mapansin. Walang pinipili ang Diyos. Walang maliit o walang sino man na walang kabuluhan na hindi niya paguukulan nga kanyang kalinga o pagtingin. Lepers would call out to Jesus, and He would draw near because of their cries. Blind men would grope their way toward Him and they will discover that Jesus has made his way toward them too. The lame would stumble, crawl, call out to Him and He would stoop down and bend for those who have fallen, those who are put down by the circumstances, those who have stumbled and laid low by the blows of life. He would stretch out His hands to heal, to draw in, and to welcome anyone who would come to Him. He would run to meet the returning prodigal. Tatangapin niya ang bawat nangungulila, ang bawat bigo at sawi sa buhay, ang mga iniwan at mga tinalikuran. This is the kind of God we serve. This is the kind of God we love. We are not just faces in the crowd – we are not just anonymous bodies out there – we are not just people without names, without any identity. He sees us. He notices us. He knows us.
What this means is that in our desperation, in the hour of our greatest need, even when we feel we have been abandoned or ignored, we are comforted. God is with us. He sees us. He notices us. Even when everything seems to going wrong, even when we face the most difficult ministries and even in personal defeat and failures, we can rest in the thought that God does not ignore us. He knows our names, He knows our deepest secrets and earnest dreams, and He will reach out to touch us.
Secondly, we learn that God is sensitive to our needs. We often think of God as aloof – uncaring – distant. We often think that we have to shout at God so that He would notice us, so that He will pay attention. So we hesitate. We doubt if God would ever hear us or listen to the desires of our hearts. We think we are too far away. We think God would not take time. We sometimes do not think we have what it takes for God to hear us, for God to know our needs.
We have become sophisticated with our theology. Ang dami na nating alam tungkol sa doktrina, tungkol sa buhay Kristiano. Marami na sa atin ang eksperto sa gawain – sa pag-preach, sa pag counseling, kung paano mangaral, ngunit minsan mahirap pa ring tanggaping sapat na sa Diyos na tayo ay tumawag sa kanya at tayo ay babalingan niya ng pansin.
And yet this God has proven once more that it only takes a touch, a whisper, even a muffled cry for Him to turn His gaze and notice any one of us. The woman slowly, silently went near Him, and touched the hem of his garment, and yet she soon discovered that it was enough to catch Jesus’ attention, that slight touch did not go unnoticed. God felt it. God did not ignore it. Some of us would just do anything to gain attention – para mapansin, gagawin natin kung ano-ano. Nakakalimutan natin ang Diyos ay lgging handa para makinig sa ating mga hiling, sa ating mga pangangailangan, sa ating mga pasasalamat. Akala natin bingi ang Diyos. Akala natin tulog ang Diyos. Ngunit nakikita tayo ng Diyos, naririnig niya tayo. Nararamdaman niya ang paghipo natin sa laylayan ng kanyang damit. Ang ating pananalampalataya, ang ating taos-pusong paglapit sa kanya ay susuklian niya ng kanyang pagkinig, pagpansin, pagkalinga sa atin. Kaya wag tayong matakot – wag tayong mag-atubili, wag nating isiping di tayo nakikilala o kaya babale-walain ng Diyos. Bawat isa sa atin may halaga. Bawat isa sa atin ay kanyang bibigyan ng kanyang panahon.
Thirdly, we realize that when we encounter God, when God focuses His attention on us, healing takes place. Change happen. We become different. Wholeness, health, peace and joy fill us. As soon as the woman touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, her bleeding stopped. She was restored to health. She was made whole once more. The stigma is gone. The woman, strong in her faith, went to Jesus, believing that healing can take place in Him and sure enough, she received it. But the woman did not just receive physical healing. More importantly, her spirit was restored, renewed. “Your faith has made you well. Go in peace,” Jesus said. She knew that she has done something against the Law. She knew that she will receive the rebuke of her life when anybody has learned what she has done. This is why she wanted to keep it quiet. She preferred that no one knew what she has done, and yet Jesus felt her touch. Trembling, falling on her knees, she confessed what she has done. Full of fear, she told Jesus why she has done what she has done. Surprisingly, she was not condemned for what she did, she was not rebuked when she dared reach out and touch Jesus. Instead she was affirmed. Her faith was honored. Peace was given to her. Healing had taken place, not only in her physical body, but her spirit was restored as well.
We do not leave empty-handed. God’s loving attention will shape us, mold us, change us. We do not just get whatever it is we ask for. We are not just granted our most heartfelt prayers. God does more than just grant us our requests. He does more than that. He changes us. He transforms us. He gives to us not just what we think can bring us good, but He gives us more – He sees our real need, and He fills it with His grace and mercy. Whenever we come away from our encounter with Jesus we are left with renewed energy. A new sense of purpose, a change of heart, not just healing of the sick body and mind.
It is amazing to think that the God who holds the universe in His hands – the God who created the heavens and the earth, and whose strength and power knows no end, this God sees us – each one of us. He knows us. And we will not go unnoticed. We will not be just a face in the crowd, but a name, a life, a person that He is intimately involved with. He is not too busy or too preoccupied not to give us time. He will take time. He will stop and notice us. Even our hidden tears and secret longings, God knows, and He hears even our whispered prayers. He will notice. And when He does that, we are changed. He transforms us. He will mold us, He will affirm us, He will grant us peace. This is the kind of God we serve. This is the kind of God we love.
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