Devotion:
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Read John 5:1-9.
Near the Sheep gate in Jerusalem was a pool called Bethesda. When we think of a pool today, we think in terms of recreation. That is not what this pool was used for. They used the water from the Pool of Bethesda for their livelihood. One purpose for the pool could have been to give water to the sheep who were scheduled to be sacrificed.
The word Bethesda means House of Mercy or House of Grace. At this pool lay people who were blind, lame, and paralyzed. Day after day they waited for an angel to come and stir the water so the first one in would be healed. Among them was a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. Jesus did not ask, “How long have you been here?” or “Why haven’t you tried harder?” He simply asked, “Do you want to be made well?” We can hear the weakness and disappointment in his voice when he says: “I have no one to help me…” We all have places in our lives where we feel stuck. We have wounds we can’t heal, hurts we can’t forget, burdens we feel we must carry alone. But Jesus steps into those places and turns them into our own Bethesda, our own House of Mercy.
Personal Worship Option:
God of mercy and grace, thank You for being my House of Mercy and my source of grace. You see the places where I feel weak, discouraged, or stuck. Speak Your word over my life today. Lift me, heal me, and renew me by Your power. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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