Thirty-eight years! Imagine that for a moment. If you are old enough, can you think back to
where you were thirty-eight years ago? I
don’t want to think about it. It was a
different age; it’s a lifetime for many.
Now try to imagine what it must be to wake up every morning not feeling
well for thirty-eight years. You feel so
ill, you cannot move. You are
bedridden. Since I do not know how old
this man was when he became non-ambulatory I can only assume that it was most
of his life, since the average life expectancy in those days was barely into
the low fifties. Regardless, it’s a long
time to be on your back.
How did he become a cripple, as some
versions describe him? Did he get sick
before becoming an invalid (as other translations refer to him)? Was he in an accident? Did he suffer some grave illness that left him
incapable of activity in its wake? You
know, it doesn’t even matter, since in the eyes of his community of faith
either he or his parents had done something evil enough to merit having God
punish him with his pathetic condition.
Do you think this man prayed to God to be healed? I am most certain he did. The fact that he comes to a place of miracles
is testament to the fact that he believes in the power of God to heal. But he prays for thirty-eight years and no
answer from God. So now he is relegated
to laying on his back surrounded by other sick people determined to be healed
at his expense. Has he given up
hope? If he has not, he is getting close
to it.
How long should I pray and plead to God
for healing? Healing can be physical,
but it can also be emotional, mental, or spiritual. I believe God answers prayers. But I am also very cognizant that God often
does not respond affirmatively to my requests for healing. Is he turning a deaf ear to my requests? Read
Psalm 22:2 and you will know that I am not alone in feeling this way. I can relate to praying for something for
thirty-eight years and not sensing an answer.
But what do you do? This man
keeps coming back. He keeps praying. He keeps on believing God will answer his
plea. Thirty-eight years of hearing of
God working miracles in others but still laying helpless unable to grasp the
miracle he so much wants. But
today…Jesus is coming his way. The Lamb
of God has entered through the Sheep Gate and His eyes see and his ears hear
his cry. Jesus hears his cry, just like
he hears mine.
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