This story is an incredible representation of how Christ shows up for us even when we have lost our hope. It is imperative that we believe in Christ and the impossible things that He can do. However, He will still make a way even in our humanness and unbelief. This story can serve as a reminder for why we should believe even when things seem hopeless. This invalid man lived this way for 38 years. He watched many healed before Him. Yet when He came in contact with Christ the man's wordless groans were turned to prayer (see Romans 8:26) and he was healed. God will do immeasurable things in our lives, but He can do so much more when we believe and surrender to Him. How He chooses to move in our lives deserves praise not questioning. Let us find hope even when we feel hopeless and believe for greatness in our lives.
One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath.
John 5:4-9 NIV
This verse is just a couple scriptures down from the story of the invalid man. It expresses the importance of believing in the word of God. Believing in “him who sent me has eternal life” is the greatest promise of our lives. God wants life, not death for us. Becoming aligned with God sets our life in right standing. It gives us access to life beyond what we can see. This is where we can have trust and confidence for what our life holds. Realizing this helps us to surrender to God’s will and not our own. Too often we succumb to the ways of this world. The expectations of the world pressure us then we forget that we need to surrender to God’s will. When we believe in His word and follow Him without question we are given an abundance of life that can be hard to imagine for our worldly views.
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
John 5:24 NIV
Considerations for your planner:
- Have you lost hope? Write down how God has interceded on your behalf even when you felt hopeless.
- What scripture do you repeat when you are in times of need? Write down a scripture that helps you remember that God is for you.
A Story of Surrender:
Our granddaughter, Destiny, is born again, but she lives with her unsaved father and is far from God. Our daughter, her mother, passed away when she was 4 and his parents wanted her to live with her dad, who is not a Christian.
After a battle we had to give her up to them. She did get saved around five yrs old, but living with her dad she didn’t grow in the Lord. She only went to church when she came to visit us. She is 17 now and getting closer to the world, not God.
We have given her to the Lord, because we know God can do anything. We have to step back and let God do what only God can do. We pray for her every day and our friends at church pray for her. Now we have to wait and watch God bring her back to Him. We have seen God answer so many prayers over the past 40 years and we know He will do this for us, in His time!
- Kimberly Behrig
Strengthen the Christian Planner Family by sharing your experiences. We'd love to hear a story about God's work in your life. Use the form linked below to submit your story.
