What do you want?
A meditation from John 5
When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” —John 5:6 (ESV)
This question has always puzzled me. Jesus was in Jerusalem, and he went to a pool called Bethesda, where blind, lame, and paralyzed people gathered. Legend had it that an angel would come and stir the water in the pool, and whoever could get into the water first would be healed. We don’t know if this was true, but the people gathered there certainly believed it.
One man had been lying there at the pool, disabled for 38 years! When Jesus saw him, he asked, “Do you want to be healed?”
The answer to this seems obvious. Either yes, of course, he wants to be healed—he’s been disabled for 38 years. Or, no, he obviously doesn’t want to be healed—he’s been lying there for 38 years and has never gotten into the water.
But Jesus has a way of asking obvious questions that reveal hidden motives in our hearts. When he asked the man if he wanted to be healed, Jesus was asking, “What do you really want? Have you given up hope?”
Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” What are the desires of your heart? Are they aligned with God’s heart? Have you given up hope? Jesus asked a disabled man a simple question that brought him face-to-face with his motives. Ask the Lord to do the same for you.
Lord, would you reveal the desires of my heart—including those desires I may not even be aware of?
Sit quietly for a few minutes. Then, write down the desires that come to mind. Be honest with yourself. It’s likely that some of your wants are not what God wants for you. Ask the Lord for the wisdom to know the difference. Confess your sin. Profess your trust in the Lord. And choose to hope again for those godly longings yet unfulfilled.