A Prayer When You Are Desperate
By Tammy Darling
Bible Reading
“Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” Mark 5:34
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Have you ever been so desperate for a touch from God that it’s all you can think about? There comes a time when only God will do. When the things and people of this world cannot provide the healing, relief, companionship, or whatever else it is we’re in desperate need of.
I’ve been there. And it was The Chosen series that fueled my own prayer of desperate belief.
A long-time acquaintance urged my husband and I to watch The Chosen series. “You gotta watch. You won’t regret it,” he passionately said. This was when the series was in the middle of season two. Multiple times, he’d ask if we had watched it yet.
So finally, one winter, when we were stuck indoors more than we liked, we started watching The Chosen, beginning with Season One. And we were hooked. Every episode brought the Bible to life in a way we’ve never experienced. Of course, we knew not everything was by the Book, so to speak; literary license must be taken when the unknowns are not certainties. But the series does an excellent job of putting humanness to the names we’ve become so familiar with in the Bible. It makes us think, challenges us, initiates discussions, and sometimes brings healing in ways that we weren’t even expecting.
One such instance for me was the episode addressing the woman with the issue of blood. Scripture tells us that this woman was bleeding for twelve years. Being a woman myself, I cannot fathom the physical weakness and the shame from being ostracized by society that this woman experienced. The woman with no name was considered by all to be unclean…for twelve years.
You may not think you can relate. But there’s more than one way to bleed. Sometimes we bleed on the inside where no one can see. Not physically, but perhaps emotionally or mentally. Maybe life has cut us deep, and we’re also weak and ashamed.
And perhaps, like the nameless woman, we’re desperate to make a connection with God that will heal our pain. We believe, but we see no change. We pray, but those prayers seem to fall upon deaf ears. And one day, we become desperate.
Desperate belief is a powerful thing. I know; I’ve been there.
When I watched The Chosen episode that portrayed the nameless woman’s desperation for the bleeding to stop, I was inwardly reaching out to touch Jesus the same way. I felt her pain because I had my own inner pain. I can’t narrow my pain, shame, and sadness down to one instance, because there were myriad situations. Some were my own doing; however, most were done to me, not by my choice. But bleeding is bleeding, and I, too, needed the bleeding to stop.
Tears trickled down my cheeks when the woman told Jesus, “I am no one’s daughter.” I broke at that moment; I felt the same. But I still had belief. I was still desperate. If Jesus healed her, He could do the same for me. In desperation, I prayed, “Jesus, heal me too.”
Watching the scene play out, I was hopeful…and desperate. “Daughter, your faith has healed you.” When Jesus spoke those words, I received them for myself. Symbolically, I too touched the hem of His garment. I took a deep breath and received the inner healing I had sought for so many years.
As I exhaled, I felt the remainder of Mark 5:34: “Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” And I did, and I was. I was finally at peace and freed from the inner bleeding I’d experienced for years.
And here’s the great news: you can be free too. Your bleeding, whatever the cause, can be stopped with just one touch. Even if you’ve been suffering for more than twelve years, Jesus hasn’t forgotten you. You can ask why, or you can pray in desperate belief.
I stand amazed that in twelve years this woman, now called “Daughter” by Jesus Himself, never gave in to hopelessness. She never despaired to the point of renouncing her faith in God. She never quit.
That’s not to say that she didn’t become discouraged at times. Or question when God would answer. With fortitude of faith, she pressed on and pressed in until she could just get close enough to touch Him. Her faith and belief can strengthen our own.
Let’s Pray
Dearest Jesus,
We come before You today with desperate belief that You are who You say You are and will do what You said You will do. We thank You that by Your stripes we are healed. As You said, “It is finished.” We rejoice in that knowledge and praise You for Your healing as we touch You.
In Your precious name, Amen.
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Photo Credit: LightFieldStudios
Tammy Darling is the author of 1,600 published articles and three books. She writes from her home in rural Pennsylvania.
Related Resource: Praying Through Life’s Battles
What battle are you carrying today?
Maybe it is an unanswered prayer, a painful loss, a strained relationship, a health concern, or a circumstance that feels far beyond your control. When life feels overwhelming, we can become so consumed by our emotions—or so busy trying to fix everything ourselves—that prayer is often one of the first things we neglect.
This week on The Love Offering Podcast, my friend Rachel Wojo joins me to talk about her new 90-day devotional, Praying Through Life’s Battles. Drawing from her experience of loving and losing her daughter, Taylor, Rachel shares how prayer has sustained her through unimaginable grief and reminded her that she never faces life’s battles alone.
If you like what you hear, be sure to follow The Love Offering on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
Originally published Saturday, 22 August 2026.
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