DO YOU WANT TO BE HEALED?

By Evangelist Garlena Hines

“When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”  John 5:6 

For many years I used different excuses for my bad behavior.  If I was in a bad mood and those around me experienced my misplaced aggression my excuse was, “I’ve been abused”.  If I was jealous and became insecure my excuse was, “I’ve been abused”.  If I mistreated someone for no apparent reason, my excuse was “I’ve been abused”.  Like many who will read this article, what I didn’t understand was God was greater than my pain, my abuse and my suffering.  But did I want it bad enough to lay everything at the foot of the cross?  See, laying everything at the foot of the cross was costly because it involved forgiveness, walking in love and ministering to those who hurt me.  I found more comfort in the pity parties I was having than understanding the power in the word of God.  But sooner or later there comes a point in all of our lives where we have to ask ourselves, “Do you want to be healed”?   

In this passage Jesus sees a man who has been at the pool of Bethesda for thirty-eight  years.  See, the pool of Bethesda was like a hospital, nursing home or hospice for us.  Can you imagine seeing wounded bodies lying all over a nursing home, all of them with different ailments, such as blindness, lameness, deafness or being mute?  In today’s society there would be a room of people with cerebral palsy, MS, AIDS, cancer, tuberculosis, just to name a few ailments.  While we are familiar with people having these ailments we are not use to seeing them in dire need of medical attention for an extended period of time.   Can you imagine your loved one suffering from one of these conditions and there was no ointment, chemotherapy, steroids, or morphine, just people hurting who have to wait for a certain time to receive healing?  Now, imagine yourself in that group of people.  Your ailment may not be physical, but emotional.  You are battling the scars of sexual abuse or physical abuse.  You are dealing with a divorce, the death of a loved one and the only time you can receive healing is at a “certain time” of the year.  Not to mention the fact that outsiders won’t deal with you because of this ailment and you still have to deal with your ailment.  This man found himself in this situation for thirty-eight years.   

At the time Jesus pays a visit to this area the people are celebrating the Passover feast.  You would think that Jesus would be celebrating by eating dinner with Mary and Martha or hanging out with the disciples.  But Jesus knows where the need is and when to attend to the need.  He hears the cries of these individuals and He sees this man lying at the pool.  Jesus already knows his condition and knows how long he’s been there, but yet he asks the question . . . “Do you want to be made well?”  Now, you think if this man has been in this position for thirty-eight years of course he wants to be well, but why hasn’t it happened?  See, Jesus didn’t ask the question because He didn’t know the answer, but, I believe, He asked the question so the man could hear the reason he’s been giving himself for being there so long.  See, sometimes you can make excuses for not being healed so long that you become complacent with the excuses.  When Jesus asks him if he wants to be well, he didn’t respond with a yes or no, he responded with two excuses.   

His first excuse is:  I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up – he’s looking for someone to help him into the pool.  Readers, understand that when you are dealing with your infirmity there may be a great possibility that there is no one around to help you get to that place of healing.  After thirty-eight years, could this man have slid to the pool, rolled to the pool, crawled on his elbows or made some type of effort?  Let me challenge you, think about your infirmity and how it has bound you.  What are you doing to get to the pool of healing?  Are you still making excuses such as “I was abandoned when I was a child”, “My father walked out on us”, “I was raped in high school”,  etc… so I ask, as Jesus did, “Do you want to be well?”  

The second excuse he gives is:  While I am coming, another steps down before me.  Again, he makes the excuse that not only does he have no one to help, but the other people are getting in front of him.  Look at his excuses very carefully, they both involve other people.  First he says “no one” will help then he says “others” are in front of me.  How many times have you blamed others for not being healed?  It’s always easier to point the finger because it keeps you from actually looking at yourself.  If this man couldn’t walk, maybe he could have befriended a blind man and they could have helped each other.  Readers, as long as you make excuses for not being healed, it only prolongs your suffering.  I am so glad that when Jesus approached this man He did not allow the excuses to irritate him, but He spoke to this man’s condition and said, “Take up thy bed and walk”.  I use to wonder why Jesus told him to take up the very thing that was keeping him bound for years.  Not only was this man healed, but he was also delivered.  Deliverance is knowing that the thing that use to control you, you NOW control it.  So, the bed is no longer controlling him. 

So I ask you, do you want to be made whole?  If so, here are some golden nuggets: 

• Acknowledge, but do NOT accept your infirmity -  We have taught people to shout over their pain, don’t bring up the past, leave it alone and we have a body of wounded people in the house of God because they will not acknowledge their pain.  I am not suggesting that you accept it, meaning claiming it as yours, but acknowledge you have an infirmity, seek guidance from the Holy Spirit and be healed. 

• Everyone deals with pain in a different ways.  While there are many who have testified that they were healed in one way, others were healed in another manner.  When you understand the healing Jesus provided, there were times He spoke a word, at other times He laid hands, one time someone touched Him and she was healed.  Whatever way the Spirit leads you to be healed, GO FORTH.

• Be committed to your healing process -  As I stated previously, God uses different ways to bring about healing.  If you have been led to attend Christian counseling, be committed to that counselor by attending the sessions regularly and being honest.  I will tell you from experience, healing is painful, but it’s worth it.  Once you begin the process, stick with it.  Remember the race is NOT given to the swift, nor the battle to the strong ,BUT to he that endureth until the end.

• Don’t blame others for not being healed – While you were a victim, you have to change your mentality to understand you are now a VICTOR.  Continuing to blame others for not being healed will only prolong the healing process. There may be a possibility that you have to take responsibility for some of the pain you’ve incurred.

• Kill the excuses - As you walk in this process, you will definitely have to kill the excuses.  If you were hurt because your father left you as a child, you’ll have to forgive, understand you can’t undo what’s been done and decide to move on by refusing to make the same mistake with your children.  Some of my most painful situations have been a great blessing to me. 

I pray if you are like this man and have been dealing with pain for a long period of time, take charge, look the devil in the face, declare your VICTORY, challenge yourself and receive all God has for you.  He sent His Son that we may have abundant life and that abundant life belongs to you.  Remember, God has the blueprint of your life.  Read it and live it.  When the hurt is the stumbling block, just ask yourself the question… “DO YOU WANT TO BE HEALED?”