John 5 tells a very easy story. After Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days, He went to the pool of Bethesda. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for 38 years. We don’t know how old he was or how long he lived before he got sick, but for 38 years, he was ill, and he found himself in a place where all the sick people hung out.
When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him: “Would you like to get well?”
“I can’t, sir,” the sick man said. “I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”
Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed. He rolled up his sleeping mat and he began walking.
God Sees Us
Jesus shows up. He sees a man in the midst of all the sick people, and he said, “Do you want to be made well?”
Jesus sees you in the midst of people flourishing, being sick, or stressed. When you are sitting there by yourself—at work, at home, in your family, wherever it is—he sees beyond all of that and sees exactly what you need. He’s always asking the question: Do you want to be made well?
God Hears Us
God doesn’t just see; God hears. That means he wants us to be authentic in how we communicate with Him when we pray.
Think about Gideon. He was hiding, trying to gather food. The angel tells him the Lord is with him, and Gideon says, “If that’s the case, why am I doing this?” Sometimes, it doesn’t make sense why we’re in the situations we’re in and we have questions for God. So don’t suppress your feelings. Say, “God, why is this happening? This is unfair.”
And what’s interesting is that when God is there—willing and able to listen to us and wants to do things for us—let’s not be like the sick man and say, “I can’t get well.” Because if God asks us, “Do you want to be better? Do you want to do better? Do you want to see better?” Say, “Yes, Lord.”
God Moves on Our Behalf
God moves for us in amazing ways. Would you believe that the people were upset that this miracle was done on Sabbath? Not the fact that this man had relief after 38 years of issue, but the fact that he was carrying his mat on Saturday.
God sees, despite everything that’s going on. God hears—so tell him what is on our mind. And God moves for us in a spectacular way when we need it, and sometimes even before we know he’s doing it.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
This passage refers to the person in Roman times who went ahead of dignitaries to clear the way. Proverbs is saying that God Himself goes before us to make sure there are no potholes, trees, or problems in our path.
So today, look at this verse. We’re still here on earth; Jesus hasn’t come yet. We’re going to need to trust and lean.
Prayer
Lord, we love You. Thank You for loving us. Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your word and the way it comes alive. Please help us to take advantage of what You have for us. Help us recognize that You see us, You hear us, and You’re always ready, willing, and able to move on our behalf. These things, Lord, I ask in the name of Christ. Amen.
