“Yes”

Pastor Banks Babade

5 minute read

I have a simple story for you today. This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible.

In John 5, Jesus meets a disabled man who sits at the pool of Bethesda, right outside of the city of Jerusalem. The reason why this man, along with many others, camped around this pool is because God, out of His mercy and love for the people, would send a healing angel to stir up the water. Once the pool was stirred up, anyone who would step into the pool first would be healed of whatever disease they carried.

Around the pool, you would have all kinds of sickness. The blind, lame, withered, impotent, all would lie in wait, hoping it was their day to be healed. Can you imagine the misery people would be in?

We are all around this same pool. Inside all of us is a burden that keeps us up at night. We all have something we wish God would fix. Maybe your prayer is for sickness or for financial freedom. I know many of you feel the pain of fractured relationships with family.

My friend, what brings you to the pool?

Like those waters in ancient Jerusalem, Jesus comes to stir our heart in hopes we find His true healing! This stirring inside of us produces faith, and when our faith is stirred up then anything becomes possible. Jesus said if you have faith the size of a mustard seed you will be able to command mountains to move and cast them into the sea. If you believe and do not doubt, you will see it come to pass.

Through faith, the impossible becomes possible. 

The Bible introduces us to a man in verse 5 who is overdue for a miracle. This man has been impotent for thirty-eight years. How many times has this man jumped in the pool, with hope for his pain to end? How many times did he watch someone else rejoice in finding healing?

Jesus walked up to this man and asked him a question, “Do you want to get well?”

The man answered the question with the problems that has stopped him from getting well. This man knew the feeling of disappointment deeply.

And oh, I’ve felt that disappointment many times. I thought I was due for promotion. I thought I would be recognized for my hard work. I thought I would get my dream house. I thought my status in life would be higher. I thought my sister would be healed. I thought more people would love me, or at the very least not reject me.

Maybe you’re like me, and you thought this year would be different. But I’ve got good news for you. This year is not over yet! From my calculation we have forty-six days for the rest of 2022. What you need today is a word from God!

Jesus said to the man, “Pick up your mat and walk,” which stirred faith in the man’s heart.

Faith is not a denier of fact; faith only denies any ‘fact’ that opposes God’s purpose and plan for your life. Faith calls us to do the impossible. The Bible says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is simply acting on God’s word regardless of how ridiculous it may sound.

Today the pool that we have access to is not like the pool of Bethesda where only the first person that steps in get healed. The race is not won by the swift, neither is the battle won by the strong. It’s the Lord that shows mercy, and God’s grace is available to everyone of us. While this pool is just as powerful as that in Scripture, Jesus is now available to everyone that believes.

Whether you’re the first or the last to step in, everyone that believes and has faith can receive their miracle from Jesus!