Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”--John 5:8(NLT)
I have encountered many people who like chaos. They derive some measure of satisfaction from it. And on some level, enjoy the attention that they receive from others due to their present state. Yet, this not God's way. God does not operate through chaos. He is organized, orderly, and strategic.
During our pastor's series on Mental Health (Being Healed, Whole, and Healthy), he shared good news and a word of encouragement. He stated that Jesus' is coming to us! He is not waiting for us to come to Him. He is meeting us where we are; in our confusion, distress, and chaos--and he is bringing healing and deliverance. He is Jehovah Rapha; The Lord that heals (Exodus 15:26).
Remember the demoniac of the Gaderenes in Mark 5? Well, prior to Jesus getting to the demoniac, he had to calm a storm (chaos) in Mark 4. When Jesus is headed your way--nothing can stop Him!
If you have a moment to read John 5, please do so. It is a fascinating account of the healing of a man who had been sick for 38 years. The Bible tells us that there was a pool, called Bethesda, which was a place where crowds of sick people gathered--the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed. They gathered there because at certain times, an angel would go down into the pool and stir the waters. Whoever got in the pool first would be made whole from whatever disease. Can you imagine the crowd of sick people pushing and shoving in desperation to get into the pool first? Can you imagine the disappointment felt by not getting into the pool first? Can you imagine being the diseased or sick onlooker--watching a fellow "patient" leave rejoicing, laughing, running and leaping in utter jubilation in glee as you sit wondering when will it be your turn? Can you imagine sitting by the pool day after day waiting for the angel to return? Imagine the disappointment of watching another sunset still plagued with an infirmity. Watching a sunrise and feeling a quiet hope that "today could be the day", only to greet another sunset with disappointment? Day after day after day...
Can you imagine this going on for years and years, as it did with the man mentioned in John 5, who had been sick for 38 years? When his moment of visitation had come, you would think he would be gung-ho. Yet, his response to Jesus' question was strange. When Jesus asked him if he wanted to be whole, he said, "I have no one to help me get to the pool. By the time I get there someone jumps in line ahead of me!" I love Jesus' response because he did not entertain or speak to the excuses. He simply said, "Stand up, pick up your bed, and walk." And guess what? The man did just that. The word of God says that immediately the man was healed and whole.
How many of us, like the man in John 5, have grown accustomed to our affliction? It may sound peculiar, but it is true. Many of us have been down for so long, we are comfortable with it. It has become familiar to us.
We begin to accept our condition and make accuses for why we are just sitting by the pool.
Unlike the man in John 5, we do not have to wait for an angel to stir the water to receive healing, wholeness, and deliverance. When Christ is standing before you asking, "Do you want to be well?", it is not the time to make excuses, justify your state, or play the blame game as we so often do. For example, we make statements like, "I come from a dysfunctional family." "I was not loved or wanted as a child." "I don't deserve anything good." "I tried, but it just doesn't work." "Good things happen for everyone else but me." "Nobody helps me do anything..."
Stop it! You have been down too long! It is time to get up, pick up whatever you have metaphorically be laying on (alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, apathy, pessimism, laziness, pornography, co-dependency, toxic relationships, depression, anxiety, etc.) and walk. Walk into the destiny that God has pre-purposed and pre-ordained for your life. Your time of healing has come!
I have encountered many people who like chaos. They derive some measure of satisfaction from it. And on some level, enjoy the attention that they receive from others due to their present state. Yet, this not God's way. God does not operate through chaos. He is organized, orderly, and strategic.
During our pastor's series on Mental Health (Being Healed, Whole, and Healthy), he shared good news and a word of encouragement. He stated that Jesus' is coming to us! He is not waiting for us to come to Him. He is meeting us where we are; in our confusion, distress, and chaos--and he is bringing healing and deliverance. He is Jehovah Rapha; The Lord that heals (Exodus 15:26).
Remember the demoniac of the Gaderenes in Mark 5? Well, prior to Jesus getting to the demoniac, he had to calm a storm (chaos) in Mark 4. When Jesus is headed your way--nothing can stop Him!
If you have a moment to read John 5, please do so. It is a fascinating account of the healing of a man who had been sick for 38 years. The Bible tells us that there was a pool, called Bethesda, which was a place where crowds of sick people gathered--the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed. They gathered there because at certain times, an angel would go down into the pool and stir the waters. Whoever got in the pool first would be made whole from whatever disease. Can you imagine the crowd of sick people pushing and shoving in desperation to get into the pool first? Can you imagine the disappointment felt by not getting into the pool first? Can you imagine being the diseased or sick onlooker--watching a fellow "patient" leave rejoicing, laughing, running and leaping in utter jubilation in glee as you sit wondering when will it be your turn? Can you imagine sitting by the pool day after day waiting for the angel to return? Imagine the disappointment of watching another sunset still plagued with an infirmity. Watching a sunrise and feeling a quiet hope that "today could be the day", only to greet another sunset with disappointment? Day after day after day...
Can you imagine this going on for years and years, as it did with the man mentioned in John 5, who had been sick for 38 years? When his moment of visitation had come, you would think he would be gung-ho. Yet, his response to Jesus' question was strange. When Jesus asked him if he wanted to be whole, he said, "I have no one to help me get to the pool. By the time I get there someone jumps in line ahead of me!" I love Jesus' response because he did not entertain or speak to the excuses. He simply said, "Stand up, pick up your bed, and walk." And guess what? The man did just that. The word of God says that immediately the man was healed and whole.
How many of us, like the man in John 5, have grown accustomed to our affliction? It may sound peculiar, but it is true. Many of us have been down for so long, we are comfortable with it. It has become familiar to us.
We begin to accept our condition and make accuses for why we are just sitting by the pool.
Unlike the man in John 5, we do not have to wait for an angel to stir the water to receive healing, wholeness, and deliverance. When Christ is standing before you asking, "Do you want to be well?", it is not the time to make excuses, justify your state, or play the blame game as we so often do. For example, we make statements like, "I come from a dysfunctional family." "I was not loved or wanted as a child." "I don't deserve anything good." "I tried, but it just doesn't work." "Good things happen for everyone else but me." "Nobody helps me do anything..."
Stop it! You have been down too long! It is time to get up, pick up whatever you have metaphorically be laying on (alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, apathy, pessimism, laziness, pornography, co-dependency, toxic relationships, depression, anxiety, etc.) and walk. Walk into the destiny that God has pre-purposed and pre-ordained for your life. Your time of healing has come!
