Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

Imagine with me if you will that you have been standing in one of those long lines at a water park on a brutally hot summer day. You have been anticipating the breeze and the splash of refreshing water as it sprays your face and cools you instantly. You have been imagining this for the last hour and a half as the line grows shorter and shorter, but just as you reach the ladder to begin the ascent, they close the ride and tell you better luck next time. With the same eagerness and anticipation, you return the next day hoping for another opportunity to ride, but yet again you get there and wait and just as you are about to receive the awaited opportunity, the chain is locked in front of you saying the ride is now closed. How many times would you keep coming back for a chance to experience the joy of the ride while continuously coming up ”a day late and a dollar short?”

Today, in the 5th Chapter of John, we encounter a man afflicted with a paralytic condition that he has suffered from for over 38 years. This man had made his way to the pool at Bethesda that was said to have healing waters for those who could make it to the pool and enter the water at just the right time. Each time this man got close enough to the pool of water, another person would make it there just ahead of him, and he would be left lying there, afflicted and unhealed. But God.

In verse 6, we find that this man has a personal encounter with Jesus. When he tells Jesus how he has been so close but not close enough because no one will help him into the water, Jesus asks him if he wishes to be healed. As the man shares his burden with Jesus, Jesus tells him to rise, take up his mat, and walk. This man does just that. He stands healed before Jesus and the others at the pool to see. This man then goes out into the world and tells others that Jesus made him well. I can just picture the gladness and the joy that this man must have felt to be healed!

We all have reasons to tell others about the goodness of God. He has blessed each of us in so many ways! How much greater are our testimonies though when we show others how He has moved within our lives? Perhaps we struggled with infertility but now we have a beautiful child as a gift from God. Perhaps we have been healed from an affliction or the chains have been broken from whatever kept us in bondage such as addiction or alcoholism. Perhaps we lost our job or career and faced financial setbacks but now all of that is being restored. [Insert your particular struggle here.] Whatever your testimony, it can speak directly to another who needs that specific encouragement and voice of hope that only you can give.

Friends, let’s examine our hearts and our lives and see how we can be more intentional to share our praises and testimonies of God’s goodness that has played out in our lives.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Prayer: Dear God, we thank You so much for the power and the might that You show in all of the areas where we need Your miracle power. You have healed our afflictions and those of members of our families, Lord, and we thank You so much for that. God, we pray that You will help us be more confident and intentional in sharing those celebrations of how Your glory has blessed each of our lives. Thank You, Lord, most of all for the testimony that You have given each of us. Amen.

Family Application: John 5

By: Carrington Stuart

Today’s story is from the book of John, and it’s a very special story about a miracle! Do you know what a miracle is? A miracle is something amazing that happens that only God could do! And in this story, Jesus gets to perform a miracle on a man who could not walk for a long time. 

One day, Jesus went to a town called Jerusalem, and while He was there, He visited a pool where a lot of sick people were. These people thought that the pool could perform miracles, and if they got in the water, they would be all better. But they didn’t know that only God can perform miracles! There was a man at the pool who was paralyzed- which means that he couldn’t use his legs to walk. He hadn’t been able to walk for 38 YEARS! Wow, that’s a long time! Jesus went up to the man and asked him, “Do you want to get well?” The man thought that Jesus was going to take him down to the water where he thought the miracles happened. But Jesus performed the miracle Himself! Jesus told the man, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” All of a sudden, the man could walk! He was so excited!

Not everybody was happy about Jesus’ miracle- there were some important Jewish leaders who were not happy at all because Jesus healed the man without following their laws. Even though the Jewish leaders weren’t happy and were very mean to Jesus, Jesus continued to heal people and tell them about God. He was not afraid to tell others about God because He knew that God loved Him so much and would be with Him wherever He went.

• How can you tell others about Jesus even when they aren’t kind to you? Have you ever seen or heard of a miracle that God has done? Who can you pray for this week who needs God to heal them?
• Prayer: God, thank You so much for sending Jesus to heal other people and for the stories that we get to read about Him in the Bible. Thank You that You are still healing people today too! I want to pray for the people in my life who need Your help and ask that You would remind them how much You love them. Help me to tell other people about You even when I’m scared, or they aren’t nice to me, just like Jesus did. I know that everyone needs to hear about You! We love You, God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.