"That We Be Made Whole"

"O that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" (Psalms 107:21)

 So, I was tempted to continue verse 20 again, but it was plain enough to see, God's Word is none other than His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! When I think about all of the that died because they refused to look upon the serpent that Moses lifted up, yet I too had refused several times to look upon Jesus for my salvation. I mocked the free gift, thinking that it was such foolishness to put my faith in someone who would give up His life and be offered as a sacrifice for my sins. How does that even work, I would wonder. When Jesus healed the man at the pool, that man had been in the condition he was in since even before Jesus was born; thirty-eight years, the Bible says, he was in that condition. If we stay in a certain condition long enough, it is hard to imagine life to be any different; it is hard to imagine what kind of a life we might live and how to function normally. But isn't that the whole truth of the Gospel message; there is nothing normal about this Salvation we have entered into, it is anything but normal and is 100% God! The man answered Jesus with his idea of what it took to be healed, that someone could get him into that water before anyone else; if only there was a way, if only it could happen while the water was stirred. How many times have we practiced that in our own lives? Even now, having been a Christian all these many years, I still will imagine myself cleaning up my own life; working on my own salvation, as if it were something I can get a handle on, if only the timing was right, or if only I find the right answer. It is not something that we should even attempt; it would be like a doctor performing surgery on himself; talk about foolishness, that is beyond being stupid, it is suicide. He wants us to give everything over to Him! All of the stuff we even think we can handle on our own, it is all a new direction and a new way of dealing with life. Instead of the man being carried upon his bed, Jesus tells him to carry his bed! What a crazy idea! If you have a giant hole in your life, then that hole needs to be filled, and Jesus wants to fill it! Oddly enough, He will usually fill it opposite of the issue that you are dealing with...

"Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But he did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me." (Psalms 66:16-20) NLT