"The Pool of Bethesda"

 "After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had." (John 5:1-4 KJV) 

  "Judah's defenses have been stripped away. You run to the armory for your weapons. You inspect the breaks in the walls of Jerusalem. You store up water in the lower pool. You survey the houses and tear some down for stone to strengthen the walls. Between the city walls, you build a reservoir for water from the old pool. But you never ask for help from the One who did all this. You never considered the One who planned this long ago." (Isaiah 22:8-11 NLT) 

 There are several different thoughts on the point to this pool and the healing powers of the stirring waters; many of which are unimportant to the main point of this message. To be quite frank in the matter of what is important and what is not, physical healings do not do anything but prolong your days on this earth; the healing that matters most, is the salvation of your soul! 

 That said, this is a very interesting illustration of several different circumstances; on the one hand, you have an illustration of what we might be looking for to happen, whether interested in getting healed, or just hoping for a change in your situation; while of the other, what is the extent of the change, the power, the willingness, the self-reliance; the list goes on and on; and, as to if any of that even matters. 

 Even to this very day, there are times I still count the cost: having made a new resolution or commitment, only to self-destruct any plans, in the effort to not disrupt my comfortable life. Call it self-preservation, call it a lack of trust, or just call it sin; whatever it is, it is practically normal for most of us, whether we admit to it or not.

 God is so good to us! He refuses to leave us there in a state of hopelessness; He will not leave His children laying in a ditch or on the side of the road; and even if that is where you might find yourself, then you are there for a purpose! You are not alone, He is always with you, even in your rebellion and distrust, He does not quit!

 If there is one amazing principle to this, whatever you take away from whatever you learn, remember this: HE CHOSE YOU...

"Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family be bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure." (Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT)