The Power of Touch

One of my favorite memories of childhood was the family vacations we took each summer. Growing up in Mississippi, our family had a pop-up camper that we pulled behind our Chevrolet Impala and made trips each summer to the mountains, the beaches, and everywhere in between. My favorite vacation was a three week journey up the East Coast to Niagara Falls and then back through Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee back home. Five people in a Chevrolet Impala was enough to make a memory! Being the middle child with two sisters, the back seat was always crowded. My big sister LaNell had the right side. My little sister Barbara had the left side. That left “Poor Robby” to lie down on the “hump” in the floor board or under the back windshield on top of the speakers.

On the long trip lying in the back of my two sisters, I sometimes would get bored and let my feet dangle around their ears or shoulders just to show my love for them. Purely accidental, on one occasion I rubbed my feet down my big sisters neck while she was trying to sleep. She didn’t notice at first but when she opened her eyes and saw my feet she screamed “He touched me!”

I learned that day about the incredible power of touch. There is something about the human touch that has power. This power can be negative if someone is touched in the wrong way. Yet this power can be positive if touched in the right way. Can you remember the first time you touched the hand of your spouse? Can you recall when a Christian friend gently touched your shoulder in a time of crisis? This is the positive power of touch.

In Mark 5:21-34, the Bible describes a sick woman who touched the clothes or the outer garments of Jesus. When she did this, immediately she was healed. What I learn from this story in the Bible is the incredible power of touch. As you read this Scripture, I hope you will see the power of the touch of Jesus in our lives. Second, I hope you see the power of our touch in the lives of others. Once we have received the touch of Jesus, we have the ability to pass that “touch” or “power” on to others. I want to encourage you this week to look for people who could benefit from your “touch.” We come across people every day who are in desperate need of a “touch.” Most of them will never ask for it, but deep down you know they need it. As you go through your week, I want to encourage you to receive the touch of Jesus and even more, to let others receive your touch in such a way that they will see Jesus in you.

Be encouraged,

Pastor Rob