What do you want?

You see it before you.

A place full of sick people.

A bathtub in the middle.

And somehow it is so that the water will move from time to time. And then if you get in the water first, you are cured, whatever illness you had.

Sounds like "the place to be" when you're sick, right? You may have to wait a while, but when your turn comes, you'll be cured. Maybe I'm oversimplifying it a bit, but if you read the section (and think back to what you saw in The Chosen), you'll notice that this very place is also a place of injustice. There is no "first-come-first serve" principle, and this man has been lying here for 38 years.

How old are you now that you are reading this? Imagine for a moment that for 38 years you are lying paralyzed somewhere. That you are constantly being overtaken by others. That there is no one to help you.

Your hope is gone.

Your courage is gone.

Your power is gone.

That's pretty much the situation in which you find this man.

And then Jesus comes along.

"Do you want to get well?" He asks. What a simple, actually silly question, isn't it? Isn't that why this man is here? Why else would he be in Bethesda? But Jesus asks the question, and the answer is telling.

This man is trying but has actually lost hope, courage, and strength. There is no one to help me, it has been going on for 38 years. I want to, but how?

In The Chosen, they so beautifully emphasize "wanting." What do you want? And the man comes with his arguments and Jesus asks again, "What do you want?" What do you want?

And, if I make the bridge for you for a moment, what do you want? You probably also have things in your life that you would like to see differently, things that have been that way for a long time and where you may have lost heart a bit. Jesus asks you today, "What do you want?" What can I do for you?

Would this man have realized that the Lord who created heaven and earth stood before him and knew exactly what he needed most of all?

Do you realize that the Lord of heaven and earth invites you, "Let all your desires be known to God." He knows exactly what you need most of all.

What do you want?

Tell Him.

Take the following questions to think about:

• If the Lord asks you today, "What can I do for you," what would you say?
• For what situations do you need hope, courage, and strength?

Prayer: "Lord, I want to ask You [...]. I have been walking with it for so long. I can't manage to solve it myself. Will You take over? Lord, I recognize You as the Lord, the King, and the One who is above everything. What I want is that through everything in my life You become more visible. Would You help me trust that You know exactly what it takes to do that. Amen."