Waiting On Something To Move

"Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is
called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In
these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt,
withered, waiting for the moving of the water. And a certain man
was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years."
John 5:2-5, KJV

I can remember driving home one night from work when I caught a
flat tire. I didn't have a cell phone, flashlight or spare tire.
There I was, on the side of the highway praying that someone
would stop and help me get to a phone. I sat inside of my car
with my flashers on for over three hours waiting for someone to
stop. I will always remember the helpless feeling of being
totally dependant upon the benevolence of a stranger.

Finally, someone did stop and agreed to give me a ride to a phone.
I was in his car for less than 5 minutes. To my surprise, there
was a payphone less than a half a mile away that I could have
easily walked too. I waited hours for someone to do what I
could've done for myself.

In the text, Jesus recognized a certain man who has been infirm
for over 38 years. Jesus picked him out from a multitude of
what the Bible describes as "impotent folk". Maybe Jesus
recognized him from the many years He and His parents would go
to Jerusalem to observe the various feasts. Maybe, his specific
condition was such that it drew attention to itself. However, I
believe the reason Jesus singled him out from the crowd was
Jesus saw something within the man that the man didn't see within
himself. There are three lessons we must take from this text
that will cause us to overcome the things that have kept us from
experiencing wholeness in our lives.

First, this man's infirmity had become his identity. The Bible
gives us his condition, but never gives us his name. We must be
careful not to allow our problems, issues, situations or weaknesses
to define who we are. It is possible for you to deal with
something for so long that it begins to determine who you are
and what you strive for in life. As a result, you lower your
expectations and settle for much less than what God has planned
for your life.

Secondly, sometimes those around us fortify our infirmity.
Oftentimes, our immobility is in part due to the company we keep.
People are more willing to tell you what you can't do as opposed
to what you can do. They kill any dreams you may have of moving
on by telling you all of the risks involved with the move, instead
of encouraging you to take a leap of faith. The reason many of
them do this is because they fear that you just may succeed at
what they were afraid to attempt. Often, deliverance is found in
doing what others around you have never done and risking the
possibility of failure.

Finally, Jesus saw and knew his condition. Jesus knows exactly
what you are going through and how long you've been going through
it. He knows the desires of your heart and wants you to realize
them. However, He allows us to experience the disappointment and
frustration of relying on other to do what we must trust God to
do. When this man's hope in others exhausted God stepped in.
Jesus did in a moment what he and others couldn't do over a 38
year period of time.

Are you waiting on something to move in your life before you
attempt to achieve it? The Bible says this man waited 38 years
for something to move, remaining in the same impotent condition.
Jesus is saying the same thing to us He said to the man at the
pool; "If you want to reach a dream or goal in your life, stop
waiting on someone to help you achieve it- "Get up and ... walk!

By Dr. J.C. Matthews, Senior Pastor of Dunamis Life Ministries and
Chancellor of The International Kingdom Institute.