Twelve years.

Twelve years of disease.

Twelve years of suffering.

Twelve years of expensive medical bills.

Twelve years of isolation.

Considered unclean in her Jewish society, the woman with the blood disorder had given up hope. Until she heard that Jesus was in town.

Pulling her head covering closer, she moved silently through the crowd, her eyes fixed on the face of the one Man she believed could heal her. If she could just touch his garment.

Suddenly, He was in front of her. Within reach. With a swift move of her hand, she touched His garment. And in that instant, she was healed. She knew it, without a shadow of doubt.

I think we are all a little bit like this woman. We have waited in the past, or we are currently waiting, for God to do something for us.

Her story reminds us that sometimes God wants to do something for us, but He doesn’t do it as quickly as we hope or in the way we hope.

He wants us to wait, because He has something better for us.

And that is always worth the wait.