Am I The Invalid?
LENT 2025 DEVOTIONAL:
John 5:1-18 (NIV)
(Cheryl Seow, President, Women’s Society of Christian Service)
Jesus’ healing of the invalid man at Bethesda was one of the many miracles He had performed. The invalid was not only paralysed – verses 1 to 18 also give a glimpse of his spiritual condition. This, in turn, has made me wonder if my own spiritual health is like that of the invalid.
The invalid evaded Jesus’ straightforward question, the response to which should have been an obvious “Yes, I want to be healed”. Instead, he took the opportunity to complain to Jesus about his helpless state. Jesus told him to get up, pick up his mat and walk, and thereafter returned to urge the healed man to stop sinning. Yet, the man reported Jesus to the Pharisees, when he should have had a sense of gratitude and repent of his sins.
I see two main learning points for myself from these verses.
First, I ask myself if there is any part of my life where I have lived in a state of prolonged helplessness, blaming others for my predicament, and evading God’s questions and prompting. Upon much reflection, it is sadly true that there are such periods in my life. I now know I need to surrender these to God, and trust in His love for me and His plans for me to prosper. I am His work-in-progress.
The second lesson is that it is entirely possible for God to bestow blessings on me, while my spiritual health may be poor. Such is God’s amazing grace! In times of hardship or in seasons of waiting to hear from God, it has been easy for me to lose hope, feel that God is “far away”, and to have a complaining, critical and controlling spirit when things do not go my way. It has been harder for me to instinctively count God’s blessings showered upon me, even though I am an undeserving wretch.
In my ongoing journey towards a closer walk with God, I have found that practising the daily spiritual disciplines of silence and solitude time with God have been helpful, in terms of self-reflection and hearing from God (instead of me constantly doing the “talking” and not listening). The spiritual communities I have are also equally important, for these are where I can be my authentic self, where I receive (and in turn, give) agape love, encouragement, support, and guidance, as I press on in living out God’s commands.
Reflection Questions:
1. How does the invalid’s character traits speak to you?
2. Have there been situations at work, home, church or elsewhere where you have experienced conflict or legalism? How has God been at work during those times?
3. There are many brothers and sisters in our society who are suffering from illness and/or disabilities. Following in Jesus’ footsteps, what ways can you or your small group reach out to them, build friendships, journey alongside them, so that they may have a glimpse of God’s love and goodness?
