There was a man who had an infirmity for thirty-eight years. He came
to the pool of Bethesda hoping to be cured by its miraculous waters, in
stead he was healed by the word of Jesus Christ. Read it for yourself
from John 5:1-9. (1) ” After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus
went up to Jerusalem. ” (2) ” Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate
a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda having five porches. (3) ” In
these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting
for the moving of the water. ” (4) ” 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 read
Jesus’ response to the man who had been in his condition for so long. (5) ” Now
a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. ” (6) ” 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? ” Take note of the
man’s reply. (7) ” The sick man answered Him, ” Sir, I have no man to put me in
to the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming other steps down
before me. ” (8) ” Jesus said to him, ” Rise, take up your bed and walk. ” (9) ” And
immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked, and that day was
the Sabbath. ” Have you been paying attention? I hope your answer is yes, because
the sick man had grown so accustomed to his condition, that he failed to recognize,
the One who asked him the question, was the One who had the power to heal him.
In your daily walk with Abba Father, you may realize that you are not pro-
greasing spiritually neither physically. Somewhere while on this journey. You have
allowed people and even circumstances to distract you from your divine destiny. You
may have even allowed yourself to believe the lies of the enemy (Satan). The question
keeps on resounding, what are you still doing here? You may ask, where? The answer.
In a fearful condition, allowing your circumstances to determine your altitude in Yahweh,
the God who redeemed you and calls you by your name! What are you still doing here?
Body sick and ravished with pain? Have you forgotten; Jesus Christ had thirty-nine
stripes for your healing? Do not you know no matter what you are going through and
have already been through. Jesus Christ already bore it for you? Don’t you understand
He bids you make the exchange? Let us go to the book of Isaiah 53:3-5. (3) ” He is
despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid,
as it were, our faces from Him. He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. ” (4) ”
Surely, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken,
smitten by God and afflicted. ” (5) ” But He was wounded for our transgressions, He
was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by
His stripes we are healed. ” What are you still doing here? Get up! The Resurrection
Power of Jesus Christ is here on your behalf empowering you to do all that Yahweh
has mandated you to do. Refrain from making excuses for why you are still where you
are, and in the condition, you are in. Pause for a moment to think about this question.
Could you and I be like the man who lay sick for thirty-eight years. Yet when Jesus asked
him if he wanted to be healed. Instead of answering “yes” he made excuses as to why
he lay in his condition? Are you and I still in the same place because we are failing to
acknowledge and activate the Resurrection Power of Jesus Christ in our lives? Remember
that same man who was sick for thirty-eight years had gone to the pool of Bethesda hoping
to be healed by the moving of the waters, and instead he was healed by the word of Jesus
Christ! What are you still doing here?