I have been thinking recently about the story of the pool of Bethesda from the fifth chapter of John. The sick people around the pool believed that on special occasions an angel would stir the waters and the first person in was cured (John 5:1-15). When questioned the man is bitter, resentful that others have made it into the water ahead of him. “I’ve got no-one to help me!” he complains (verse 7). Perhaps today, too many of us are a little like him – feeling weak or lame, waiting for our ‘lucky break’ – a piece of good fortune that we will gladly attribute to heaven as long as we get what we feel we need. Like an ‘X Factor’ teenager, we are putting all our hopes for future mobility on a big break – perhaps a career change, a marriage proposal at last, or a special empowerment or anointing from God: a lucky dip in this life. And how we disguise our indignation when others seem to get blessed ahead of us! We have all been there. But perhaps the story teaches us to take our eyes off the pool completely and on to the Saviour. The lame man is cured without getting his feet wet. It’s a genuine meeting with Jesus that we need, not a strange charismatic experience, no matter how wonderful. And don’t miss Jesus’ strong warning at the end, to turn from sin (verse 14). If we really want to stay upright, we need to hear and obey the voice of God on a daily basis. Why don’t you take your eyes off the pool today and on to Him? You can get your lucky break any time you like, as long as that break is called Jesus.
CAVANNA 