Do You Want To Get Well?

I will begin by sharing this with you…

One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” -John 5:6 (NIV)

“What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. -Luke 18:41 (NIV)

It has been on my heart for a while now to write based on these two passages of scripture. As I shared in a previous post, I underwent some emotional healing that has improved my spiritual walk as well as my personal relationships.

This healing has helped me to empathize with more others because I better understand that many people on this earth grow up with some kind of dysfunction in their household and/or with relationships in general. This should not surprise us since we are human and are not perfect, not even close!

Since my healing, I have spend numerous hours meditating on John 5:6. Why would Jesus ask a disabled man if he wanted to get well? Wouldn’t he assume that this man would want to get well?

I came to a conclusion: Jesus is always and forever willing to work in our lives and heal us. However, if we do not want to get well, we do not invite Jesus in and therefore how can he heal us?

So this brings the question-did this man want to get well? He did not answer yes or no. He simply said “Sir…I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

If you read his response carefully you’ll see that he was asking Jesus for help by telling him that he didn’t have anyone to help him. This man clearly did not have personal friends or family (at least not close by) to help him.

I suppose he thought maybe Jesus could help him get into that pool. So what was so special about this pool? Some biblical manuscripts read: From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had.

In essence I learned that the man did indeed want to get well but he didn’t have anyone to help him get into that healing pool. Jesus did something better, he healed him personally. 

In the second scripture, Jesus asks the blind man what he would want Jesus to do for him. The blind man had a more clear answer this time. He wanted to have his sight restored so that he could see.

We may already know exactly what we want Jesus to heal us from, however it may not be clear to all of us since many are unaware of what the source of our damage is. This man knew, it was pretty obvious to him. But for those who do not know, if we still have the desire to get healed, Jesus will expose that which is damaged and He will heal you if that is what you wish. 

Before I joined the healing for damaged emotions group, I came to the conclusion that I needed help and healing. I finally had a sincere desire to get well. I was motivated by knowing that I would be forever stunted in my spiritual growth if I was not healed. This would be dangerous because if we do not grow we can slowly die (spiritually).

If you’ve read my blog post “In the Beginning” then you’d know that I am a restored disciple of Jesus and there is no way I would ever want to return to the life I was living while shutting Jesus out of my life. 

So I made the decision and went. It was tough! I had to drive almost an hour to get to the location of meeting on a work evening. Since I am not a night person, I would struggle more to get up the next morning. However it was worth it each time!

I spend many hours reading the book and journaling, meditating and praying and I learned so much about myself that I never knew! Most importantly the healing process was in place and I was on my way. 

It is on my heart to ask you who are reading this right now: Do you want to get well? What do you want Jesus to do for you? This question is for both believers and non believers…for those with great faith and those will little faith, no faith, or a faith that is currently suffering. 

Credit: Healing for Damaged Emotions book. 

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