Week 3
While in Jerusalem, Jesus goes to the pool of Bethesda where many sick people would gather. It
is a place that they could ask for money, but it was also known as a place of healing. It was
believed that every so often, an angel would disturb the water and the next person to get in the
water would be healed. Of all the people there, Jesus approached a man who was an invalid for
38 years. This is what happened.
John 5:6 (NIV)
When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
In a moment of sarcasm, I might respond, “No, not really. I have just come down here every day
for 38 years to watch others get healed.”
What may seem like an obvious question, is actually a very good question. Does the man, and do we, actually want to get well? How often do we have the opportunity to be well, but choose to remain in our sickness or addiction because we have become comfortable in it. The circumstances may be difficult, but at least I know what they are and have learned how to live with it.
Sometimes we do not receive healing because we do not recognize the healing that we already have or is being offered to us. The man makes excuses that he has no one to help him into the pool, but the great healer is standing right there in front of him. Jesus offers us healing and wholeness, if we are willing to except it. He may not fix all our problems or change our circumstances, but he provides what we need for each day.
What healing do you need? It could be from a physical illness, emotional illness, or spiritual illness. Jesus can heal them all and all at once. But it usually does not work that way. He can bring healing immediately, or over time, or eventually through the ultimate healing of death. He can bring healing through the touch of his hand (a miracle), doctors and nurses, medication, a friend who cares, or in any number of ways. He can heal one of our illnesses but not another.
It still comes back to the question, “Do you want to get well?” The answer may seem obvious, but it is a good question to ask ourselves. Along with that question, we can also ask ourselves, “Are we willing to accept the healing that Jesus is offering us?” Trust that the Father loves you and wants to be in relationship with you. He also wants you to be healed and whole as he wants others to find healing and wholeness. Sometimes it is together that we find that healing and wholeness. Living in God’s kingdom means allowing God and others to help bind up our wounds, so that we can go and help bind up the wounds of others.
Time of Prayer:
1) 1 min – What is God saying to me through this devotional?
2) 1 min – What am I going to do about it?
3) 1 min – What do I want to say to God?
4) 2 min – Listen for what God wants to say to you now.
What may seem like an obvious question, is actually a very good question. Does the man, and do we, actually want to get well? How often do we have the opportunity to be well, but choose to remain in our sickness or addiction because we have become comfortable in it. The circumstances may be difficult, but at least I know what they are and have learned how to live with it.
Sometimes we do not receive healing because we do not recognize the healing that we already have or is being offered to us. The man makes excuses that he has no one to help him into the pool, but the great healer is standing right there in front of him. Jesus offers us healing and wholeness, if we are willing to except it. He may not fix all our problems or change our circumstances, but he provides what we need for each day.
What healing do you need? It could be from a physical illness, emotional illness, or spiritual illness. Jesus can heal them all and all at once. But it usually does not work that way. He can bring healing immediately, or over time, or eventually through the ultimate healing of death. He can bring healing through the touch of his hand (a miracle), doctors and nurses, medication, a friend who cares, or in any number of ways. He can heal one of our illnesses but not another.
It still comes back to the question, “Do you want to get well?” The answer may seem obvious, but it is a good question to ask ourselves. Along with that question, we can also ask ourselves, “Are we willing to accept the healing that Jesus is offering us?” Trust that the Father loves you and wants to be in relationship with you. He also wants you to be healed and whole as he wants others to find healing and wholeness. Sometimes it is together that we find that healing and wholeness. Living in God’s kingdom means allowing God and others to help bind up our wounds, so that we can go and help bind up the wounds of others.
Time of Prayer:
1) 1 min – What is God saying to me through this devotional?
2) 1 min – What am I going to do about it?
3) 1 min – What do I want to say to God?
4) 2 min – Listen for what God wants to say to you now.