Genesis 32:22-31
And he rose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed over the ford of the Jabbok. He took them, sent them over the brook and sent over what he had. Then Jacob was left alone and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when he saw that he did not prevail against him He touched the socket of his hip and the socket of his hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks". But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!" So He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob". And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with man and have prevailed". Then Jacob asked, saying, "Tell me Your name, I pray". And He said, "Why is it that you ask about My name?" And He blessed him there. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved". Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him and he limped on his hip.

Mark 10: 46-52
Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Batimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Then many warned him to be quiet, but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise. He is calling you." And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, That I may receive my sight". Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way, your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

Luke 8:40-48
So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him. And behold, there came a man named Jairus and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus feet and begged Him to come to his house for he had an only daughter about 12 years of age and she was dying. But as He went the multitudes thronged Him. Now a woman having a flow of blood for 12 years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" When all denied it, Peter and those with Him said, "Master, the multitude throng and press You and You say, "Who touched Me?" But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me for I perceived power going out from Me". Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden she came trembling and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. And He said to her, "Daughter be of good cheer, your faith has made you well. Go in peace".

What have these three stories in common? Two of them happened when Jesus was on earth and He was directly involved. The other happened many years before. In all three cases the people involved were desperate. They all had a need and through faith they knew that they would get what they need so desperately. Jesus Himself established the importance of understanding how faith operates when He said, "According to your faith let it be to you" (Matt 9:29)

Jacob was looking for a special blessing from God. A blessing was important to him and that is why he got the firstborn blessing from his father by deceiving his father. The firstborn blessing was destined for Esau because he was born first. So, Jacob did not get it legally but it was the Lord's plan for him to get it. Now, when he hold on to the Angel he knew that he will get what he wanted and that he will be blessed in the end. He was not willing to loose his grip and to loose out on the blessing to. He struggled with God and held on till he got the blessing that he was looking for. For his faith he held on but got what he so desperately needed. He named the place Perniel that means, "face of God". Jacob got the blessing that he desperately needed. He also had to acknowledge that he was a supplanter or deceiver before he was transformed and be given a new name.

Bartimaeus was blind, sitting and begging beside the road. He heard Jesus speaking when a crowd was passing by. He knew Jesus because he acknowledged Him by saying, Jesus, Son of David. He began to shout to Jesus. The people around him rebuked him for doing it. The people around him wanted him to be quiet. They want to silence him. They do not want Jesus to be disturbed by a beggar while he was walking and speaking to the crowd. But, Jesus heard his desperate cry for help. Bartimaeus was not influenced by the people around him. It did not matter to him what the people say around him. He was only thinking about himself. May be the people influenced him before but this time nothing will distract him. He put his faith in the following: "If Jesus can only hear me, He will have mercy on me". He is desperate and determined in his action. He wants to get the attention of Jesus. When Jesus asked for him he knew that he would be healed by the Master. He threw away his cloak. This reminded him of his old life, his old lifestyle. He does not want to be a beggar anymore. He knew in faith that he will be healed when he comes to Jesus. He was specific in his request. He said that Jesus must give him his sight. He did not say, restore my sight or heal my blindness. Jesus healed his sight that he could see again. He became a follower of Jesus.

A woman was amongst a crowd when Jesus was on his way to the daughter of Jairus. This woman only wanted to touch the garment of Jesus. She knew that she would be healed when she can do this. She put her faith in this touch, " If I can only touch his garment I will be healed". She wanted to do this desperately and pressed through the crowd to do it. She needed to come very close to Jesus. She did not want to disturb him with her sickness. She was rejected because of her sickness. She was alone. She became isolated through her sickness and she felt disserted. She was considered to be unclean because of her sickness which, she had it already 12 years. This is why she did not want to disturb Jesus. But, she knew that she would be healed when she can touch His garment. Jesus knew that somebody touched his garment because He felt some power went out from him. He asked who was doing it. Jesus knew that somebody touched him. The woman came in humility to Him acknowledging that she has done it. Jesus notified her publicly that she is healed from her sickness and from her suffering. Jesus had to do it this way so that the people will know that she is healed and not "unclean" anymore. She got what she desperately needed.

We need to know that we need sometimes to struggle to get what we want in faith. We need sometimes to struggle to receive all that God has for us. But we do not want to struggle in life and we always want it the easy way. That is why it is sometimes difficult to get what we need. God knows how to remove things from our past and then to give us a touch of his glory. We need to make a discision. We need to become desperate, desperate about spiritual things. People around us must not influence us to do something else. They must not distract us. We must not listen to them. It is about me and what I want from God. Jacob was alone. God is looking for people who are desperate. God is looking for people who are determined to get what they want in faith. Many times we settle for less because of people around us. They want to put you down and pull you down. It is time you stand up. You need to stand up for what you want. It is time that you shout out load to Jesus. Shout loader if people want to quiet you. It is about you and you alone. Do not listen to people. Even when they are you Christian friends. You do not have to look for somebody else and their support. They will disappoint you. They will distract you. You loose out if you obey them but they also loose out. If you want more of Jesus then do not worry about them and their approval. Remember you will get what you want in your desperate cry to Him and they will be jealous because they lost out. You need to become desperate and determined.

The woman only wanted to touch the garment of Jesus. This passage relates to a woman whose healing was a result of a great and persistent faith. Her illness made her ceremonially unclean and disqualified her for mixing with crowds and people. But she was certain that: "If only I may touch His clothes I shall be made well" Jesus did not rebuke her. Jesus did not reject her for her sickness. She was classed "unclean" because of her sickness. Jesus delayed his mission to go to the daughter of Jairus to attend to this woman. Jesus assured her of her healing and her salvation. May be you are feeling like her. You feel rejected. You feel alone. You feel disserted or even unclean. May be you are also feeling that you do not want to bother Jesus with your problems. Do what the woman did. Reach out and touch His garment, His clothes. He will not reject you. Become desperate in your need. It is between you and God. Touch Him in faith for your healing, for you're suffering, for your need. Do not fear. The enemy puts that on you. Do not accept your state, your circumstances. God has something better in stock for you. Be desperate and take it. Do not settle for less. We are so use to settle for less. It is time to get out of that groove. Get what is rightfully and belongs to you. This woman was looking for her healing. She looked for her healing at doctors and spent all her money but she got worse. She spent all she had to get her healing.

May be you are in the same situation. You trusted others but it did not help. Give Jesus a change. Jesus is there. Jesus will not reject you. Trust Him. He can do it for you. Put your faith in your need for Him to do the impossible. If there are promises from God in your life hold on to it, keep on to it. Do not let go of it. Pray that it come to pass. Become like Jacob, like the woman, like Bartimaeus. They got what they needed and what they wanted. They did not have doubt in their hearts. Doubt brings fear, fear that it will not happen. With doubt you will not receive. They believed that they will get what they wanted. They were desperate and determined to get what they needed from God. They expected that their need will be met.

With faith we believe and receive! You can get it too!!!!