Arise

Arise!

And a certain man was there, who had been thirty and eight years in his infirmity. When Jesus saw him lying, and knew that he had been now a long time ‘in that case’, he saith unto him, Wouldest thou be made whole? The sick man answered him, SIR, I HAVE NO MAN, when the water is troubled, TO PUT ME INTO THE POOL: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. -John 5:5-7

Thirty eight years with a problem, with a condition, lying by the pool, very close to the solution, very close to healing, yet too far and too slow to get to the solution because ‘he had no man.. to put him into the pool’. For years, opportunity for healing presented itself, opportunity to rid himself of this thirty-eight year old infirmity. But he remained with this problem, with this condition, with this limitation, because ‘he had not man… to put him into the pool’.

I am sure he saw others like him, come and go, come to get their healing, their breakthroughs, answer to their prayers, and they left him there, still with his condition, with his limitation, with a problem for thirty eight years. His life was on a standstill, because ‘he had no man… to put him in’. He says ‘while I’m coming, another stepped down before me’. So, he could move himself, he was capable of getting there, perhaps it was more difficult than the rest of them but he could get there.
I can imagine how he felt! Have you ever being in the position where you see others being promoted at work ahead of you, even though you felt you knew so much more than them, and you deserve it more than them? This sick man had the same feeling I believe.

The bible doesn’t tell us much about what sort of infirmity he had, but what is clear from the verses above is this; – he could see, he could talk and he could move even though slower than he wanted.
Did he really want to get healed, or was he comfortable with his condition? How desperate was he to get his breakthrough? These are valid questions because even Jesus himself asked the question ‘wouldest you be made whole’? But why would He ask this question though He could see the man was sick? For thirty eight years? Maybe he was not impressed with his level of desperation for change, for healing. The level of desperation for change is the catalyst for action. This sick man’s action was not aligned to what he wanted. Perhaps this is what Jesus realized, hence the question.

I believe, If he really wanted to get healed he would have done anything possible to get closer to the pool, and not blame anyone for not being healed earlier but himself. Each day, he could have crawled, rolled on the ground, whatever it takes, to get closer to the pool. I could have, instead of wasting 38 years.
He should have been desperate enough to be at the edge the pool so to just roll right in immediately after, even during, the ‘troubling’ of the water. That is what desperation make you do. Instead, like many of us he waited because ‘he had no man… to put him into the pool’!

Many of us are like this man with infirmity. What we say we want is not aligned to our actions. All we do is to blame others for not helping us effect our breakthroughs. We give excuses for our mediocrity, for lack of progress, for our stagnant life. For how long? For how long are we going to sit by the wayside instead of jumping in? How long are we going to blame our lack of anything on the lack of help and support from others? The fact is, if we are not desperate enough to take action, 38 years will come and go, many others will come and get their breakthroughs ahead of us, and we would remain the same, in the same pit, in the same case, feeling sorry for ourselves, feeling sorry for our unfulfilled dreams, feeling sorry for our un-lived lives, only to resort to blaming circumstances and others! More than twenty years since independence our government and many if us are still blaming apartheid for their incompetence!

We don’t have to carry this limitation for 38 years, we have to act today, we have to be desperate enough to do something, even if it means crawling or rolling towards our goals. God is asking you today; wouldest be made whole? It has been years, waiting for your chance, isn’t it? Perhaps your problem was waiting, you should have acted, in faith, and you could have been made whole long time ago already. You could have started living the life God planned for you. Align your actions to your needs, it is up to you! Stop blaming your condition on anyone else! You have it in you to change your situation, it has been too long now with your condition. Your time is now. You have waited and given excuses for too long now. Arise, and take up your position in this world! Jesus saith unto him, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk. -John 5:8