The Power of God's Touch - part 1
We all know that we have five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Each one of our senses is important and each serves specific purposes. But for our devotional entries over the next two weeks, I would like to focus on the sense of TOUCH.
The dictionary defines the verb TOUCH as coming into or being in contact with. The dictionary definition for the noun TOUCH is an act of touching someone or something.
So most simply, TOUCH is like a CONNECTION. Can you imagine not being able to connect or touch other people or other things? Just think about all the things we touch every day. We touch objects, clothes, phones, etc. We touch people with handshakes, an embrace, a pat on the back, a baby in our arms, etc. We can also “touch” people with compassion, help, encouragement, etc.
Mothers of Nations, TOUCH is part of our everyday life, isn’t it?
Looking back at the Old Testament for a moment, we find that God did not want the Israelites to touch certain things. For example, Scriptures indicate that they were not to touch any unclean thing or touch the garments of the dead. Besides these types of objects, Psalm 105:15 instructs this: Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm. There are many other references to TOUCH in the Old Testament, but let’s move on to our main focus of our topic: The TOUCH of Jesus.
When Jesus touches anyone or anything, His touch is superior to any other touch we could experience. His TOUCH is so amazing that only one moment in His presence can completely change everything!
One of my favorite songs from many years ago written by Bill Gaither was called “He Touched Me.” Do you remember any of those lyrics? He touched me, Oh, He touched me. And oh the joy that floods my soul. Something happened and now I know, He touched me and made me whole.
Why is the TOUCH of Jesus so special? Let’s look at three specific examples. First of all, the TOUCH of Jesus is intimate, personal. Let’s read through the passage of Scripture about Jesus healing the ten lepers. For one of these men in particular, the TOUCH of Jesus on his life was so personal and intimate that it ignited worship in the man’s heart.
Luke 17: 11-19 (NLT) -- 11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. 15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”
The touch or connection that this person with leprosy experienced made him whole, healed, and cleansed. Jesus’ touch was intimate, personal, and life-changing!
The TOUCH of Jesus is also powerful. Think about the power of the connection with God that these Bible characters experienced.
- Simon became Peter.
- Jacob, the supplanter became Israel.
- Abram became Abraham (father of nations)
- Defeated Elijah became Elijah the Man of God.
- Moses, the murderer, became a great leader of a rebellious nation.
- Jeremiah, a nobody, became a powerful prophet of God.
- James became a martyr.
- John became an Apostle of love.
Next week we will look at a final characteristic that makes our Master's TOUCH so special. Until then, may you be alert and aware of the presence of the Lord and the power of His TOUCH in your life.
Dr. Sharon Predovich
