One man was there who had been ill for
thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a
long time, he said to him, “Do you want
to be made well?” John 5:5-6
Susan
had hit bottom.
Her
life was a mess. She just couldn’t give
up drinking. She craved it from the
moment she woke up until she passed out at night.
Day
after day the cycle continued. Week by
week things got worse. She started
hiding a bottle under the front seat of her car, and would lie about how much
she drank. She started missing work
because she was too hung over to show up.
As time went on she lost her job, which caused her to want to drink
more. Her husband, sick and tired of her
drinking and her inability to quit, left her.
Susan drove home after a party one evening and was arrested for driving
under the influence. She lost custody of
her children. With no income, she
started forging checks to support her drinking addiction. When Susan was arrested for check fraud she
realized that she had hit bottom, but was still digging.
In
her growing despair she often asked herself, “Why can’t I quit drinking? Why is
this happening to me? Why don’t people
just leave me alone?” And she realized
that those dead ended questions weren’t getting her anywhere. Why couldn’t she keep from drinking? Because she is an alcoholic. But knowing the answer to that question
didn’t provide her with a solution.
So
she started asking herself, “What can I do to avoid drinking this morning? This afternoon? This evening?
How can I keep sober, just one day at a time.” After several failed attempts, she managed
one day of recovery. Then two. Then a week.
She went to 90 A.A. meetings in 90 days. She got a sponsor. Finally, she was able to turn her will and
her life over to the care of God. With
God’s help, she was able to reverse the downward spiral of her life. Susan’s entire life was starting to change
for the better.
Susan
changed her questions. By changing her
question she changed her life. One day
at a time.
Do
you want to be made well? That’s what Jesus asked the man who had been
ill for a long time, in fact, very ill for 38 years. Jesus could have healed him just by speaking
a word. Rather than doing that, Jesus
asked, “Do you want to be made well?” Instead
of giving the man simple healing, the man received wholeness and restoration.
If
the truth were to be told, we’re all wounded in some way. We all have hurts or challenges or secrets
for which we need healing. But do you want to be made well? If you do, and if you begin to change the
questions you ask yourself every day, you can
be made well. Jesus gave the man a
solution to his sickness. Susan was
given a solution to her alcoholism. And Jesus
can give your strength to overcome your wounds.
Do
you want to be made well?
Questions to Ponder- The man in our Scripture had been ill for
a very long time. Why do you think
Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be made well?”
- In our devotion,
Susan changed her questions, and by doing so she changed her life. What kind of questions do you ask
yourself that immobilize you or that don’t lead you anywhere?
- What kind of
questions can you start to ask yourself that will bring about positive
change in your life? Do you think
those questions can make a difference?
Why or why not?
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