When Your Turn Comes

Saturday, April 15, 2023
When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”
John 5:6 (NKJV)

How long can you wait for your prayers to be answered without giving up? One man had to wait for thirty-eight years for healing. If life begins at forty, this man had spent almost his entire productive life on the sickbed.

Waiting for Healing

His family had deserted him. His friends were nowhere to be seen. He had lost countless opportunities for self-development. Some familiar people would pass by, and he would wonder how different life would have been had he not been incapacitated by illness.

Even at the Bethesda Pool, this man was lonely. For thirty-eight years, he watched as relatives and friends helped their sick loved ones receive healing when the angel stirred up the water. He must have been a tormented man, not just physically but also psychologically.

Do You Want to Be Made Well?

One day, though, it was his turn to receive healing. A stranger came along and asked an unusual and ridiculous question. “Do you want to be made well?” (John 5:6). Christ’s question was not out of ignorance, for He knew the man’s story. (Verse 6).

The man was too ill to argue with the stranger. Instead, he briefly narrated his past failed attempts to jump into the pool for healing. Then Jesus uttered the magical words, “Rise, take up your bed, and walk.” (John 5:8). After close to four decades, the man received his health back.

Take Up Your Bed and Walk

When the sick man’s turn came, he did not need a human being to throw him into Bethesda Pool. There was no need for relatives and friends. All he needed was the forgiveness (see verse 14) and compassion of Jesus. As soon as he responded with faith and started walking, his suffering ended.

The same Jesus walks through our neighbourhoods and streets seeking people afflicted by sin and physical infirmities that He may heal them. The only requirement is that you acknowledge that you need His help. He will wipe away years of suffering.

When Your Turn Comes

Do you want to be made whole? Irrespective of how long you have suffered, your misery will be gone in a flash if you decide to obey Jesus, take a leap of faith, and walk in the newness of life. Your turn is coming, and when it comes, no one can stop your blessings.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, I am patiently waiting for my turn.