Tell Jesus I Need Another Touch!

Dear Friends In The Faith:

Prayer requests. I get them all of the time. I receive them from hurting people that need healing, from addicted people that seek deliverance, from relationally wounded people who really need a friend, from married people that are on the verge of divorce, from single people that are trying to remain celibate, from unemployed people looking for a job, from cancer patients hoping that the chemo works, from heart patients waiting on the surgery, from good people that are depressed with life that want to quit, from frustrated people that have given it their best and still their best wasn't good enough, from single parents that are hurt because one of their children have strayed from the path of their upbringing, and from teachers that have students that are taking state examines and realize that if God does not help them it will be impossible for them to pass. I get prayer requests all day long!

One of my most memorable request that I have ever encountered took place in the fall of 1999. I was visiting *Bro. Randy Smith. He was a retired educator in his late sixty's. He was a very stately man that was small in stature but he was tall in the community. He had helped numerous people turn their lives around and now he was sick and needed help. At the conclusion of our visit I asked *Bro. Smith if he had a prayer request for God. He paused, grunted, and pressed himself to sit up and turn to the edge of the bed (this took a good while I might add). He managed to smile through his pain, lift up his head and say "Yes sir brother Pastor! I do need something from the Lord that you can pray for. Tell Jesus I need another touch!"

Here's a great devotional question for you to consider as we spend these precious moments together. Have you ever reached a point in your walk with God that you needed the Lord's touch again? If you haven't just keep on living. But, for those of you reading this message that can say "I need another touch right now" I have great news for you! The God we serve is in the touching business and when you know Him well enough you know that He will touch you more than once! Here's how the gospel of St. Mark puts it, "And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly" (St. Mark 8:22-25, KJV). Now if Jesus touched this man more than once He can and will do the same thing for you. But, why does the Lord touch you more than once?
 
He knows that we have sight, but He really wants us to see. Have you ever heard the old cliche' "hind sight is 20/20?" It means that I had eyes but I could not see worth a flip. It means that I could not see that they were just using me. It means that I could not see how God was going to work it out. It means that if I had it to do over again I would do it differently. And it means that I use to worry about what people said about me, but I have reached a new level of trust in God that gives me the freedom to say "I don't care what they say!" Look at this text, Jesus poses an interesting question to this man. He asks Him what do you see? Watch the reply. He says "I see men and they look like trees." What's wrong with this kind of sight you ask? When you see people that are too big you will always have a God that's too small! Your God is too big to be small, too huge to be little and too power powerful to be weak! When He is with you it does not matter who or what is against you! This is why the Lord has to touch us again. He needs for us to see our worries as small, our problems as tiny in His hands and people that are nothing more than human!

Secondly, He knows that we have been made better, but we are not well yet. Okay, let's be open and honest for a moment. Since you met Jesus Christ you can see that He has brought your life a long, long, long, long way can't you? For that we say thank you Jesus! But, here's that back side of that truth. We still have a long, long, long to go don't we? This is why we need another touch. It's what happens in this passage. "I see" the man exclaims with vigor! Retranslation "I'm better!" "I'm soo much better!" But, when Jesus hears his answer of what he see's He knows that he is better but he is not well! If you are a christian, but will curse if you get mad enough it is because you are better, but not well. If you love Jesus, but still slide a rum and coke in every now and then it is because you are better, but not well. If you can say I have forgiven them, but I do not want them in my face yet it is because you are better, but not well. And, if you were really sick and not you almost back to normal it is because you are better but not well yet! Are you shouting right now? You should be because you know that you are better, but not well yet and it is why the Lord has to touch you again! 

And, lastly He knows that we have what is good, but God wants us to have what is best. Here's the best news of the day, week, month and year! God wants you to have the very best!!! In this narrative Jesus could have walked away from this man when he gained his sight and let him just make due! But, that's not the kind of God He is. So the Lord touches him one more time. Please pay attention to this. The man has what is good. But Jesus says by way of His actions, "that's not good enough. I want you to have what is best!" You see, when the Lord wants you to have what is best He touches you again. Get this, if you want the best children ask the Lord to touch them! If you want the best marriage ask the Lord to touch it! If you want the best life, the best career, the best destiny, the best healing, the best relationships, the best friends, the best finances, the best future, the best family and the best faith ask the Lord to touch them one more time! Anything that His hands touch get better until they become the very best!!!

It was a simple prayer request given by *Bro. Smith. But, it stuck with me like crazy. I prayed his request just as he asked. And he got well enough to rise from his sick bed, come to church, worship God and continue helping people in the community be their best. And, when you ask him how he got well, he will tell you that Jesus touched him again!!! For those who know His touch to be real celebrate the fact that His touch changes everything. And if you are facing a situation right now that requires His mighty hand you should look towards heaven where ever you are and cry this petition from your soul and expect God to come through for you like only He can! "Jesus, touch me again!!!"

Your Friend,

Dr. John R. Adolph

*Bro. Smith has been used so that the real name remains anonymous.