I know that we are all “wired” differently, but in many areas of life, we have a desire to be “first,” or at least the “best.” This is not wrong in itself, but when it becomes an obsession, then other people get hurt as they are pushed and shoved aside in order to accomplish the one goal – to be first, or at least, the best.

I’m not an art lover by nature – Give me a football, baseball, or some golf clubs, and I’m all in. However, there is one painting that has captured my attention, and it is by Andrew Wyeth, called “Christina’s World.” In  his painting, he depicts a young woman laying on a grassy hillside, looking up toward a house in the distance. The woman on the grass is obviously physically challenged, as she sits awkwardly on the grass with very thin arms and legs. And it appears that her thoughts and desires are directed toward the house, where we might assume, she would find acceptance, warmth, and love. But getting there is the challenge she faces.

Now imagine that there are other people with physical challenges on the hillside with her. And imagine that there is a “contest” to see who can get to the house first, and the one who wins the competition will receive all the blessings that the house has to offer. Just before the signal to begin the race, imagine that all of the contestants have friends show up just in time to help them climb the hill to the house, everyone, that is, except for Christina. Without a friend to help her, she is destined to remain in her frail state, just as she has been for many years.

The Apostle John records the story of the disciples leaving Galilee in order to attend one of the “Feast of the Jews” in Jerusalem. Planning to enter the Temple through the “Sheep Gate,” Jesus was drawn to a pool near the gate where dozens of people with serious infirmities lay (Peggy and I saw this pool in 1999 when we traveled to Israel). The pool is called “Bethesda,” meaning “House of Mercy.” The pool was covered to protect those who were there from the heat of the sun during the summer and the occasional rains during the winter months. Of all of the people laying around the pool on their pallets, Jesus was drawn to one particular man who had been in his condition for thirty-eight years. Jesus asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

Although the man did not answer directly, he provided an explanation as to why he would never be healed. His explanation centered around a myth that had been propagated that the first one who gets to the pool when the water in the pool begins to churn, that person will be healed. The “bubbling” of the water was due to an underground vent building up pressure, and then occasionally releasing super-heated water emerging from deep in the crust of the earth. The man replied, “I would love to be healed, but I can’t ever get into the pool first because I have no friends to help me.” Like Christina on the hillside, he had no one to help him in his desire to find healing. Most of those laying on pallets around the pool had relatives or friends to tend to their needs and to help them into the pool at just the right time. I have a “hunch” that Jesus was drawn to this man at the pool simply because he had no relatives, nor friends to help him.

Jesus told him to “Stand up, take up your pallet, and walk.” Something in Jesus’ eyes and voice resulted in the faith to believe that Jesus could actually make him walk. And that’s just what he did. Here is a lesson for all of us – Notice the sequence: “Stand up, pick up your pallet, and walk.” If the man had his way, he would have tried to stand up and walk, and if he couldn’t actually walk, he could always fall back onto his pallet. No, Jesus said “pick up your pallet” before you walk, because you are not going back there, nor will you need it any longer. Friends, when Jesus calls us, we need to begin walking in the direction He has called us, and have no intention of ever returning to our restrictive pallets.

As he leaped up with his pallet under his arm, he headed straight into the Temple area where he encountered the “religious police,” that is, the scribes and Pharisees, and other religious leaders. They asked, “What are you doing?” “Who healed you?” And the most piercing question, “Why are you carrying your pallet on the Sabbath?” I find it interesting that Jesus seemed to make a point of healing on the Sabbath. This wasn’t the first time!

After finding Jesus and condemning Him for healing on the Sabbath, Jesus responded to the religious leaders, “My Father is working even now, and I Myself am also working.” This did not go over well with the police department because Jesus plainly called God His “Father,” thus directly linking Himself with God. Furthermore, Jesus assured them that even on the Sabbath, a day of rest, God was always working, and so was Jesus.         (This encounter is recorded in John 5:1-18).

My friends, we all need to rest assured that in spite of all of the political and social turmoil swirling around us, along with fires, hurricanes, and even earthquakes, God continues working even though we cannot see what He is doing. In fact, what He is up to may not become evident for some time. But rest assured, God is always working in your own life and in the lives of others, and He is working is circumstances beyond our control.

If you have not yet committed your life to Christ, I want you to rest assured that God is always working even though you cannot see Him or recognize His work. He does this in order to draw you to Himself. And if you are already a follower of Jesus, I encourage you to never forget what the Apostle Paul said,

“We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).

That’s a promise for everyone who knows and loves Christ. It’s a promise to us. Believe it, and walk each day in its truth. Peggy and I love and appreciate you so much! May God Bless You.