DAY 63 - STIR IT UP
ZACH ATWOOD, YA EVENTS & OPERATIONS TEAM LEAD
“Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.” John 5:13
In John 5, we read about Jesus healing an invalid during the feast of the Jews in Jerusalem. In this area of the city near the Sheep Gate, there is a pool that, when stirred, brings healing to those that enter it. Because of this, many sick and invalid people hang out and stay around the pool waiting for their miracle.
We meet a man at the pool and find out that he had been waiting there for 38 years, unable to get in the pool because no one would help him into the water quickly enough. Jesus begins chatting with him, and, Jesus being classic Jesus, pulls the miracle card and tells this man to get up and walk; without ever having to get into the magic water. The man gets up, takes his mat, and walks around like it’s no biggie. The others start gathering around and asking him how he was healed and who healed him.
I’ve read this story many times, but this time, it hit me that this man who was just physically healed has no information on his healer! People asked him who his healer was, but he doesn’t know this man’s name, doesn’t know this man’s reputation, doesn’t know his occupation; he cannot answer anyone’s question! This man had no idea who he was talking to, yet he believed in what was spoken over him and experienced a miracle.
So then, why do we as Christians personally know who we are talking to, still doubt His miracle-working power?
So many of us pray, worship, and have such strong relationships with God, but we struggle to believe that He is for us. We can read story after story in the Bible of our God performing miracles, but we cannot believe that healing in our life is possible. We know Him personally, but we doubt His power in our own lives.
Young Adults, we need to step back from our “miracle pools,” we need to listen to what He has spoken over us, and we need to believe that we can pick our mats and walk. The best part of our story? When people ask us who healed us, we can boldly proclaim the name of Jesus Christ and tell everyone who He is!