The Hem

of His Garment

by

Barbara Edtl Shelton

It was a "day of dark clouds,"  "deep waters," and agonizing pain.  I was desperate, depressed, and at the end of my strength during a personal crisis in my marriage.  I was literally leveled, lying on my bed with nothing left in me to walk, function, or live life with. 

As I laid there, the Lord impressed on me that, just as He healed the woman with the issue of blood who touched the hem of His garment and was healed, so would He heal and refresh me,  now, in the midst of my heart-pain, if I would only touch the hem of His garment. 

But in my utter depletion of strength, I weakly and painfully moaned to Him, "I CAN'T, Lord, I don't even have enough strength to even lift up my hand and reach out to you!" 

Continuing to lay there, weak and lifeless, I became aware that someone was approaching me as I lay there curled up on my side with the left side of my face buried in my pillow.   Then I felt as if He stopped right next to where my head lay on the pillow, His robe continuing to swing back and forth, brushing my face, and then slowly coming to a stop right over my cheek.  I didn't see Him; only the bottom rim of the robe, which was so close I could almost feel the weave of the cloth.  In my spirit, I felt Jesus say...

      "I know you are weak, but I have heard the cry of your heart, and that is precisely why I'm bringing the hem of my garment to you.  Here it is, you don't even have to reach out; I know you're too weak right now, so just let me touch you with it."  

He came to me in one of the darkest moments of my life with His healing power and His sweet love, which permeated my entire being and brought tremendous comfort and eventually healing - which was not an overnight change, but part of an ongoing process that would continue for many years. But having Him in me and leading me made it all so different; so much more bearable because He began doing the work and carrying the load in me. 

He said "Come to Me all you who are weary and overburdened, and I will give you rest."  Now I know that!