John 5: Turning Barriers into Bridges of Blessing!
“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 (NIV2011)
What is your greatest barrier? You’ve prayed for it to go away but nothing happens! Frustrating, isn’t it? But have you ever considered that maybe God wants to use that barrier to bring you to your greatest blessing? When it may seem like God isn’t listening or doesn’t care, the truth is there is always a barrier between the new beginnings God wants to bring in our lives and the blessing God has for us. The greatest barrier your facing is the very bridge to take you to the blessing! We see this in the miracle Jesus did for a lame man in John chapter five.
There’s a question, though, in this chapter that will cause you to stop and think! At first glance, it will seem insensitive and unkind of Jesus to ask. Would you ask someone who had been an invalid for 38 years this question? “Do you want to get well?” John 5:6b (NLT)
As you read today’s chapter, ask Jesus why He would pose such a question and consider for a moment what the Holy Spirit may reveal to you about your own disability, that barrier in your life that prevents you from moving forward. What is it that you lean on as an excuse that disables you from moving forward in your faith journey? What is it you really want God to do in your life?
Re-examine the story again and discover why this man was in the condition he was in. Then shift your thoughts to what empowered Jesus to do what He did. When the light of God invades your world, it brings opportunity to see your barrier as the bridge to bring you to a place of blessing! Once the lame man saw who Jesus was, he no longer needed to look to others to help him in the water. Had it not been for his disability he would never have experienced the ability and power of God to change him! Light gives clarity and enables us to see our obstacle as God’s opportunity!
Finally, as you read on in John chapter five, consider the danger of the religious crowd in Jesus’ day that had substituted the Scriptures and their religion for a right relationship with God. In verse 39 and 40 (NIV), Jesus said to them, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.” It’s not enough to know the Word of God. We must know the God of the Word. God didn’t give us the Bible to increase our knowledge but to change our lives. Let the Word of God lead you to the God of the Word as you follow the Light.
What other insights do you see in John 5? Click here to read John chapter 5.