Do You Want to Get Well?

Buddy the Elf

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?”  John 5:6 NIV

Buddy the Elf was rescued by Furever Yours Rescue.  He has his own Facebook page where you can follow his progress.  He is being fostered and receives physical therapy to try to regain muscle.  He is very blessed to have wheelchairs, doggie diapers and other necessary items donated.  He is loved.  If you asked him if he wants to get well, I know he would respond with an emphatic yes.  His daily progress is amazing as he and his caregivers give it their all.

John 5:1-8 tells the story of a man who had been an invalid for 38 years.  There have been many sermons preached, bible study discussions and devotions written on this encounter with Jesus.  The pool of Bethesda had the reputation of having healing powers when an angel came to stir the waters.  The bible states that a great number of disabled people use to lie there in hopes of getting into the water first to receive their healing.

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?”  He told Jesus he had no one to help him get in the pool when the water was stirred.  Someone else always got there ahead of him.

I’ve always looked at the question and applied it to my life.  I’ve wondered if there was something wrong with me.  Do I really want to get well?

This time my attention was drawn to the fact that the man had waited by the pool for 38 years.  This time, I saw patience.  This time, I saw hope.  This time, I saw perseverance and endurance.  I saw faith and strength.

This man didn’t lose his focus on healing or what God could accomplish.  He waited for the promise.  He didn’t give up when everyone else received healing and blessing from God.  He could have went home, knowing he’d never make it into the stirred water first.

During the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments, God had been silent.  Some had given up.  A few like Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:21-38) waited and hoped and believed God’s word.  Their faith was rewarded when they saw Jesus the Messiah in the form of a newborn baby.

How often do I pray and if I don’t see immediate results, I hobble off?  My faith isn’t strong enough to hang around the pool waiting till it’s my turn.  I don’t endure till Jesus passes by and asks me if I want to be made well.

There is a song that states:

Teach me Lord to wait down on my knees, till in your own good time You answer my pleas.  Teach me not to rely on what others do but to patiently wait on an answer from you.  They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.  Teach me Lord, teach me Lord, to wait.

The man in John 5 waited till Jesus passed by and was told to take up his bed and walk.  He didn’t have to wait on an angel to stir the waters.  Jesus was enough.  Simeon and Anna waited to see the salvation of God, and they saw Jesus presented at the temple as a newborn babe.  If we wait on Jesus, what will we see?

Do we have the endurance and patience of the man at the pool and Buddy the Elf?  Do you want to get well?  Wait on the Lord!  Jesus was and is enough!

 

Donate to help Buddy @ Furever Yours Rescue, 1722 Norristown Rd., Amber, PA 19002