"If I stick around the place of worship for long maybe someday my miracle might come", while reading the story of the crippled man who had sat by the pool for 38 years, the above lines dropped in my heart.
The Bible doesn't explicitly state whether the crippled man exercised faith, but his perseverance is undeniable. He consistently returned to the pool, believing that if he could just get in at the right time, he would be healed. His response to Jesus didn't indicate a strong show of faith, but rather a deep-seated conviction that getting into the pool was his only hope. He persisted for 38 years, never giving up.
Jesus asked him in the book of John
John 5:6 -7 (AMP)
When Jesus noticed him lying there [helpless], knowing that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, Do you want to become well? [Are you really in earnest about getting well?]
7 The invalid answered, Sir, I have nobody when the water is moving to put me into the pool; but while I am trying to come [into it] myself, somebody else steps down ahead of me.
What strikes me about this story is the man's determination to stay by the pool, even when it seems like a futile effort. He didn't let his failures discourage him; instead, he adopted an "I'll try again next time" attitude.
Just like this man, God wants us to build strength and capacity not to give in or give up. To stay in the place of his presence. The miracle might not have occurred, but staying in God's presence gives us a reassuring hope and strength that our miracle will occur.
While expecting God to work my miracle, there are moments I just give up hope and just wonder if God could still work for my good, but you know cultivating a posture of his presence nudges me and reminds me of God's love and mercy.
The testimony is not just his wholeness, but that he encountered Jesus while he waited, so just like this man even as we wait on the Lord for our miracle, may we encounter Jesus.
As long as we keep staying in the presence of God our miracle is right there.
Stay Revived!
By Guest Writer.
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