Do you want to be made well?
Do you want to be made well?
LaDonna 0:00
Welcome to Healing Waters – The Podcasts!
I am LaDonna Sanders, here to remind you that God wants you well in your mind, body, soul, and spirit!
III John 1:2 says, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."
My friends, the wellness and prosperity we desire can be found and maintained when we make spending time in God's Word and His presence a priority. Join me as we check out what good news our creator has to say in today's Healing Waters Devotional!
LaDonna 0:38.9
Healing Waters - Day 47
John 5:1-15 – After this, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.
When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “ Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “ Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well took up his bed and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. The Jews, therefore, said to him who was cured.” It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.” He answered them, “ He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’” Then they asked him, “ Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “ See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
The question of the day, “Do you want to be made well?” Jesus asks the disabled man; do you want to be made well? It may sound insensitive, but it is a legitimate question. Some people prefer to hold on to sickness, disease, or disability because it facilitates a certain degree of pity, charity, income, and attention from others that they may not have been able to obtain otherwise. Jesus wants to know what the man desires! Perhaps the sick man has grown accustomed to his condition, or maybe it has become hard for him to picture his life any other way. Let’s keep in mind, the man has been in this same physical and perhaps even mental state for the last thirty-eight years. It is not unreasonable to think that disappointment and hopelessness may have become his daily companions as well.
The man in today’s devotional scripture responds to Jesus and says, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when that water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” This statement tells us two things, he is looking for someone else to help him and that even after thirty-eight years, he is still putting forth some effort to get healed. When you are in a crisis, having help can make the situation seem tolerable. But I have learned from experience that you will encounter some problems where help escapes you if you live long enough. People cannot always help, and sometimes honestly, many just don’t care enough to help. Human beings are limited in their capacity to love and show compassion; God is not!
Nevertheless, I would admonish you not to get stuck there and do not waddle in self-pity. On this faith journey, God sometimes doesn’t allow others to help because He wants you to learn how to rely on Him. He is your Help; He is your redeemer! When you find yourself in such a state, it is time to believe God, believe His promises, and trust that the Lord will work it all out for your good. God loves you, and He is the only one who has promised never to leave nor forsake you. He is the only one who has promised to be your refuge in times of trouble. Be assured, my friends, God’s got your back. God sees you; He knows how long things have been the way they are and all the specifics surrounding your captivity. God has seen your efforts, and yes, for some of us, our lack of effort to change the situation. Today, Jesus is asking the same question, “Do you want to be made well?”
Are you open to hearing what Jesus has to say? To research the promises of God and actively believe them!
Are you willing to obey?
Are you willing to let go of what’s familiar and trust Jesus with your future?
Are you ready to forgive and to repent?
Are you ready to rise up and shake off disappointment, anger, depression, hopelessness, and your past?
Jesus Christ wants a relationship with you that supersedes religion, ritual, and tradition!
Jesus wants you and I to understand that having a relationship with Him involves repentance and obedience. Making Him Lord and Savior includes acknowledging Him in all our ways and then obeying what he says to do.
My friends, the question has not changed, “ Do you want to be made well?” Today, let’s rise, take up our beds, and walk with Jesus Christ on this journey of faith! He is our help! He is the one who makes us well and brings wholeness into our lives. He loves us, and He is our redeemer!
I want to take a moment to read a few scriptures that have helped me in my time of need, and then we will pray.
Psalm 9:9 - The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
Psalm 28:7 – The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore, my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song, I will praise Him.
Psalm 72:12 – For He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him who has no helper.
Psalm 103:1-5 – Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s
Jeremiah 30:17 – For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds, says the Lord, ‘Because they called you an outcast saying: “ This is Zion; No one seeks her.
John 14;16 –17 - And I will pray for the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
Hebrews 13:5-6 – Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He, Himself, has said, “ I will never leave you nor forsake you. So, we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
Let’s Pray
Lord, we hear you. You are asking if we want to be made well! Yes, Lord, heal us and set us free from everything hindering our walk with you. Father, today we offer we repent of our sins, and we offer no excuses, forgive us for being unforgiving towards others, forgive us for looking for help outside of you. Lord, you are our strength, you are our hope, and we will trust in you and you alone. Lord, you are our refuge, and we thank you for redeeming our lives from destruction. Lord, today we will rise up and put on the garment of praise, and shake off anger, depression, anxiety, hopelessness, and our past? Thank you, Jesus, thank you, you are our hope, and you have promised never to leave nor forsake us. Lord, you have promised to heal all our wounds bring restoration to our lives. Do it, Lord, and by your Holy Spirit help to obey your every request upon our lives, for your glory in Jesus Mighty Name, Amen! Hallelujah!
LaDonna 11:05.5
You have been listening to Healing Waters – The Podcasts.
You can follow Healing Waters on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcast, Deezer, and Spotify.
If you have not yet, go to one of them and Subscribe, Rate and Review.
Join me, LaDonna Sanders, tomorrow for another Healing Waters Podcast.
Thank you for listening, and remember that God loves you and wants you well in your mind, body, soul, and spirit. God Bless!