Devo John 5:1-9

1Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2Now there
is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda
and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3Here a great number of
disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 5One who was
there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there
and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him,
“Do you want to get well?” 7”Sir,” the invalid replied, “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.” 8Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and
walk.” 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on
which this took place was a Sabbath,

Meditation
1. What stands out and draws my attention in this passage? Do I deeply
desire to experience wholeness of mind or spirit because of my woundedness
lately? Or do I find myself questioning whether Jesus really can heal a
physical sickness – either my own or someone else’s?
2. Ask Jesus what he has specifically for me that calls for healing. Talk to God
about what I hear. (Allowing Jesus to bring healing might require letting go
of something that may hurt a lot to release, and may not think I’m ready for
it right now. Or I desire freedom and wholeness, but feel stuck, imprisoned,
fragmented. Or in this moment I find myself ready for my healing.)
3. If the time with Jesus and God’s message today moved me the tiniest bit
closer to wholeness, rejoice. If not, simply let things be. Continue talking to
Jesus about my situation, being alert to what he has for me.

Personal Note:
Physically I am asking God for healing.  Emotionally I have experienced God's healing.  Spiritually I have been cleansed through the blood of Christ and healed from the wounds of sin.

Devo John 4:43-54

43After the two days he left for Galilee. 44(Now Jesus himself had pointed out
that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) 45When he arrived in Galilee,
the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at
the Passover Feast, for they also had been there. 46Once more he visited Cana in
Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal
official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47When this man heard that Jesus
had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and
heal his son, who was close to death. 48”Unless you people see miraculous signs
and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” 49The royal official said,
“Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son
will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51While he was still on
the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52When
he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “The fever
left him yesterday at the seventh hour.” 53Then the father realized that this was
the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and
all his household believed. 54This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus
performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.

Meditation
1. When the anxious father came, Jesus seemed quite indifferent and said to
the father: “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders you will
never believe.” And when the father asked Jesus again, Jesus replied, “You
may go. Your son will live.”
2. This is the dilemma of faith. God, in response to our desperate appeals,
speaks to us and says, “It’s done. Go home and you’ll find the sick healed.”
Faith is very much the same. We come to God desperate for salvation. And
all He said is, “you may go.” The work is done, your healing accomplished.
And, though we lack evidence, in faith, we walk away as Jesus said.
3. When I bring my problem to God, do I tend to accept his word or keep
fretting and fussing? Do I actually live out my life in a way that demonstrates
that I really believe God is in control and wants the best for me? Talk to God
about this and listen to His response.

Personal Note:
When I encounter problems, usually I keep on fretting instead of accepting God's Words and obey His directions.  Over the years, I am more convicted that God is in control and wants the best for me.  As I think more, is there any problem that God cannot help me with?