Rest From The Issues Of Life

Text: Luke 8:42-48

Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28-30 to come to Him and we will find rest for our souls. Luke 8:42-48 is an account of a woman who came to Jesus and received rest for her soul. This woman had an issue she had been battling with for 12 years. For 12 years she had an issue of blood, for 12 years she had a health problem, for 12 years she had no rest. For 12 years she had tried and done everything possible to find a solution to her problem. Psalm 127:2 talks about people who wake up very early and go to bed very late toiling and labouring hard but at the end of the day, they have little or nothing to show for all their efforts. This woman was a typical example of such people. In vain she had woken up early to meet up with doctors’ appointments, in vain she had stayed up late taking different kinds of medications. She had toiled for 12 years, but all that had been a labour in vain. She hadn’t found a solution to her problem; she hadn’t found the rest she desperately needed.

It is only when you come to Jesus that you can find rest from every issue that is troubling you. The woman had gone to many people for help but they weren’t able to help her. She had gone to so many doctors but they couldn’t cure her (Mark 5:26). The day she made up her mind to go to Jesus that was the day she experienced rest. Make up your mind to come to Jesus today and you will receive rest for your soul, you will receive rest from every ‘issue of blood’, you will receive rest from every issue of life.

The day the woman came to Jesus, the issue of blood in her life dried up. As you come to Jesus today, He will dry up every issue of blood in your life; He will put an end to that spiritual, financial, marital, or health issue you have been battling with.

From this woman’s experience, we see that REST means:

1. God solving the problem you have been battling with for years:

This simply means God giving you rest from every long-standing problem just like He did for this woman (Luke 8:43), just like He did for the woman who had been crippled for 18 years in Luke 13:10-13, just like He did for the man who had an infirmity for 38 long years in John 5:1-9. Like these people, you have been battling with an issue or problem for years. It could have been for 3 years, 5 years, 8 years, 12 years, 18 years, 30 years or for most or all of your life. It could be a sin, a weakness, a sickness, a financial, family or marital issue. It could be a spiritual problem or issue; repeatedly having bad dreams, being oppressed in your dreams for years. The same JESUS that gave the woman with the issue of blood rest from the long-standing problem in her life, still has the power to give rest from long-standing issues or problems. He is the same yesterday, today and forever more (Hebrews 13:8). As you come to Him today, you will receive rest from all long-standing issues and problems.

The woman touched Jesus and she received rest from that long-standing problem in her life. Today, I want to encourage you to pray in a way that your prayers will touch God, in a way that your prayers will move the hand of God to put an end to every long-standing problem in your life.

Pray this prayer like you have never prayed before: O LORD, COME AND GIVE ME REST FROM EVERY LONG-STANDING PROBLEM IN MY LIFE.

2. Rest also means God solving the problem or issue in your life that is too big for man (Mark 5:26):

There are some problems that man can handle. There are some problems that you, your spouse, your parents, friends, colleagues, or pastor can handle. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. So there are some things you can bear, there are some problems and issues that you can cope with, you can handle. But there are some issues no man can handle; there are some problems that are too big for man. It takes only God for you to find a solution to that problem. That was the kind of situation that woman was in. Specialists, well trained, qualified and highly experienced doctors had not been able to help her. Friends and family had not been able to help. Not because they didn’t want to help her, but because she was dealing with a problem too big for man.