Dave's Diary

Prayer

Briefly prepare your heart in silence, and ask the Holy Spirit to awaken your sense of anticipation that God is about to speak to you through His Word. Then, before you read, I invite you to pray this prayer based on Psalm 77:12-14

Holy Father, I worship You and wait on You today.
I will remember all Your works
and meditate on Your mighty deeds.
For You perform miracles
and display Your power among the peoples..
Amen.

Reading

John 5:1-15

In today’s passage, Jesus approached a man who had been somehow disabled for the last 38 years. He was lying beside the Pool of Bethesda, which was a pool believed to possess healing properties. (If you have an older Bible translation the superstition surrounding the pool is described in verse 4, which will be in the main text. In most newer translations it is in a footnote, as it is missing from most ancient manuscript copies).

Here the man had laid for many years, waiting for his miracle but unable to get into the pool to “claim” it. Jesus spoke just one question and one command to him.

He asked, ‘Do you want to get well?’

And when the man replied with an explanation about the impossibility of receiving healing because he could never get into the pool in time, Jesus commanded:

‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’

In that instant, the man picked up his mat and walked away healed!

What do we make of this for ourselves today? What principle can we discern here?

As I reflect on this event, I am struck by the fact that Jesus will most often accomplish His seemingly impossible purposes for us (and through us) when we desire it honestly (as this man clearly did) and are willing to do our part to partner with Him. Despite the fact that He can readily do wonders without our involvement, God loves to partner with us to do the seemingly impossible.

So, when the Lord has commanded us to pursue some Kingdom-orientated outcome which seems impossible to us, if we will have enough faith in the Lord to exercise our will and our human effort towards that outcome, He will add His power to “move mountains”.

In commenting on these verses, William Barclay wrote:

There are so many things in this world which defeat us. When we have intensity of desire and determination to make the effort, hopeless though it may seem, the power of Christ gets its opportunity, and with him we can conquer what for long has conquered us.

Will you pursue Christ’s purposes for you today, even if they seem impossible?

Contemplation

Please take time to ponder what Jesus has commanded us. Turn these declarations over and over in your mind. Keep them in mind throughout the day and live in step with Your King, Jesus.

As a disciple of Jesus Christ:

• I will keep my eyes and my heart open to whatever Kingdom-orientated outcomes Jesus may lay on my heart.
• I will pursue even the seemingly-impossible ones in faith.

Lord Jesus, I believe in You and I long to partner with You. Please strengthen my faith and my resolve to obey Your calling. Amen.