Do you believe John 3:16? Then why isn’t Mark 16:17–18 your daily life?
Hi, I’m Addison. You’re reading (or listening to) Bigger Than Me—a weekly guide devoted to removing the fears, doubts, and misconceptions that keep believers from healing the sick in everyday life.
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For a moment, the five covered porches around the pool erupted.
Bodies shifted.
Hands grabbed,
And one lame man watched.
By the time the commotion settled, he was unmoved.
The lame man had been sick for thirty-eight years.
Someone always reached the water first.
Then one day, a stranger stopped beside him.
The lame man didn’t know who the stranger was.
Or why this person had singled him out.
Jesus knew him.
Jesus knew how long the lame man had been suffering.
“Do you want to get well?”
The lame man looked at Him.
“Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred.”
“While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
But First…
Jesus asked the lame man if he wanted to get well.
The lame man responded with a list of what still needed to happen:
The water needed to stir.
Then he’d need someone to help him reach the pool.
And finally he’d have to get in the water before everyone else.
We do the same thing today.
Someone we know is hurting, and we start making our own list:
I need to know what to say.
I need to feel led.
I need more faith.
I need a less awkward moment.
Different list.
Same underlying belief:
God can move. But everything needs to be perfect first.
So we wait.
You Don’t Need Any of That
The man’s physical limitations were real.
His assumed requirements for healing were not.
We fall into the same trap:
We really may not know what to say.
We might not hear some special leading.
Our faith can feel small.
The moment could be terribly awkward.
Those are all very real situations.
But we take those real circumstances and turn them into requirements.
God can move, but first...
Who said any of those things had to happen first?
The water didn’t stir for the lame man.
No one picked him up and rushed him into the pool.
Jesus simply said:
“Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”
And the man did.
In the same way:
Jesus already gave you the command to heal the sick.
He already gave you His name and authority.
He already paid for healing.
What actually needed to happen already has.
You don’t need perfect circumstances.
Don’t confuse what makes obedience easier with what makes healing possible.
Don’t wait for the water to stir.
Pray now.
A Prayer for Acting Now
Dear Father,
Thank You that You have already provided everything I need to obey You.
Thank You for being the God who heals.
Jesus, thank You for paying for healing.
Thank You for giving me Your name and authority to heal the sick.
Holy Spirit, thank You for living in me and empowering my obedience.
Thank You for giving me courage to act even when I don't feel ready.
I release the belief that something else needs to happen before I can pray.
I reject the lie that my circumstances, confidence, or readiness are what make healing possible.
When someone in front of me needs healing,
I will trust what You have already provided,
and pray then and there.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Until next time,
Addison
