The Tip of the Iceberg

“We’ve all been living through an extremely difficult time that has left many gripped by fear, brokenness, and anxiety. But the physical pain is only the tip of the iceberg.”

We live in a world where millions of people are hiding their pain. A recent study showed that forty percent of teenagers say they are perpetually sad and chronically hopeless. And it’s not just teens. We’ve all been living through an extremely difficult time that has left many gripped by fear, brokenness, and anxiety. But the physical pain is only the tip of the iceberg. Underneath that pain is a deep-seated need for the healing power and presence of God.

In Mark 5:21–34, we meet a woman who had been living with deep pain, bleeding for 12 years. Her story is repeated in three of the Gospels, so it made a huge impact on the authors. While we don’t know her name, we do know she had seen many doctors and spent a great deal of money seeking a cure. Pain moves people to action.

When she heard about Jesus, she decided to find Him. She came up to Jesus and touched His cloak. The Bible says, “Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering” (v. 29).

Jesus, feeling the power leave His body, asked, “Who touched my clothes?” (v. 30). This woman, who had hidden her pain for so long, came out of the shadows and told Jesus the whole truth. The physical pain had driven her to Jesus, but she also needed spiritual restoration and healing. Jesus told her, “Daughter [a term of endearment], your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free from your suffering” (v. 34). When this woman met Jesus, something happened in her life that was even deeper than physical healing. I can guarantee you that from that day on, she followed Jesus.

In our world today so many are hurting. They are angry, broken, depressed, anxious. Their pain is driving them to our churches and to us. You can give them hope! Let them see the power of the resurrected Jesus living within you. The pain that drives them to us is only the tip of the iceberg. If you care about people and their pain, the doors to the gospel will open. As people look for relief, you have the opportunity to point them to the Savior.