Absence Makes The Heart - Healing for the Places That Still Ache

“Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. And he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.’” (Mark 5:33-34, NLT)

“And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” (Luke 12:7, NLT)

“He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3, NLT)

When I was a kid, I clung to an eight-by-ten photo of my dad like it was a promise. I didn’t know him, but I carried that picture everywhere—next to Cookie Monster and my blankie—hoping it meant something real. Mostly what my dad and I experienced was absence. You might also be acquainted with an aching absence, the kind that leaves you longing.

All of us have experienced the absence of a loved one, the absence of a dream, the absence of what we hoped for. The woman in Mark 5 knew this ache. For twelve years she bled. She was emotionally downtrodden and soul weary. She was financially broke and socially and spiritually outcast. She had to have been desperate for relationships, connection, and love. She was deeply wounded by the void and emptiness her circumstance penned.

She saw Jesus and fought the crowd to get what she wanted. That’s incredible. When was the last time you fought the crowd to get what you wanted? She dared to believe Jesus might heal so she reached out and touched the hem of His robe. Power went out from His body and He stopped. Right there in the middle of a watching crowd, Jesus stopped for her.

In case you need reminding: Jesus stops for one. Jesus stops for you.

Scripture says she fell at Jesus’ feet and told Him her whole truth—yes, the whole messy, complicated, painful story. And He did something unexpected. He called her “Daughter”—the name she didn’t know she needed but had longed for her entire life.

Some of us know what it is to ache for presence. To wish the pages of our story looked different. To wonder if we’re worth showing up for. To long to be adopted.

But this is who Jesus is:
The One you can interrupt at any hour.
The One who sees every absence, emptiness, or gap.
The One who lets you tell the whole truth.
The One who calls you His.

Reflection:

• What absence or void have you experienced that has left you with a deep longing?
• Where do you tend to go with your longings?
• How does hearing God call you “Daughter” or “Son” change your ache for presence?

Prayer:

Father, help me to believe I am Your child. In all the ways I don’t know how to trust that You won’t leave or abandon me, help me trust You. Help me to bank on Your presence, Your faithfulness, Your consistency, and in all the ways absence has left a longing, help me to turn to You to fill it. Amen.