Anything Is Possible: How Nine Miracles of Jesus Reveal God's Love for YouSample

Day 3: Healing at the Pool of Bethesda

For 38 years the invalid man lay on his mat, collecting filth and odor. Locked out of the temple and labeled as his physical condition described, IN VALID. People looked upon him with pity or disgust, but Jesus looks him in the eye and asks him a heart-piercing question. “Do you want to be healed?”

This may seem like a no-brainer, but Jesus’s question forces the man to confront his identity. Will he keep his eyes fixed on the pool of water he has placed his hope in or look up into the eyes of the only One who can truly heal?

Pain and suffering come from many different categories; the result of a fallen world, demonic attack, effect of our own sin, someone’s sin against us and even from the hand of God. The funny (or not so funny) thing about pain, is that it can blind a person to believe that their identity is interwoven into their suffering. Like a mask, if taken off, exposing who they really are.

You may believe that if God heals your mind or body or marriage you will be left empty-handed, without a crutch or excuse, but all throughout the Bible we see that God does not leave those who look to Him alone or empty. He turns ashes into beauty and death into life.

After Jesus healed the man, He told him to take up his mat and go, never to lay on it again, but to be a walking miracle. The man’s pain was no longer his identity. Because of Jesus, you don’t have to do the stuff you used to do, because you’re not the person that you used to be. Your past pain can be a platform for God’s glory.

Do you want to be healed? Do you want Jesus to make you whole so you can worship God with your all?

Do what James 5:14-15 says and gather one or two friends to anoint you with oil, lay their hands on you and pray for healing.