Rest and Reset: A 30-Day Devotional to Revive JoySample

Wilt thou be made whole?

Your past experiences may have shaped you, but they don't have to define your future. Depending on those events, you might want to distance yourself as much as possible from the pain and memories of your past. Isn’t it ironic that the brain often clings to memories we desperately want to forget, while forgetting those we wish to remember?

There were moments during my grieving process when I would search deep into my memories to recall what my daughter’s smile was like without looking at a picture. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember it — it's as if my brain was blocking the image from my mind’s storage. Then there were late nights when I lay in bed with tears streaming down my face, wishing to rid myself of the memories from my past that pierced my heart with sorrow. Over the years, my memory has recovered from the trauma of loss, and my heart has distanced itself from the sting of pain, but the wounds are still present as a reminder that Jesus heals and Jesus saves.

When Jesus appoints healing, He often appears at the moments we least expect. It happens during times when you've accepted the fate of what might be, while also positioning yourself for a change if it comes. What’s important to remember when you're both accepting and expectant is that if God offers you healing, don’t focus on someone else’s story or become a victim of what God has allowed. If you only fixate on what you’re suffering through, it will be difficult to recognize God’s voice and whether He is truly working on your behalf.

We see this in John chapter 5. The Bible recounts a healing on the Sabbath. A festival was taking place in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate, near a pool called Bethesda. People would come from all around, waiting for the water to move in, hoping to be healed. Among them was a man who had an infirmity for thirty-eight years. Scripture says, 'When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had been in that condition for a long time, He asked him, Wilt thou be made whole?' The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.” When Jesus asked him a question, his response should have been a simple yes. But instead, he shared what he probably had been rehearsing all along, “someone always beats me to the punch.” This reflects a victim mentality, where one believes that others are responsible for their healing and fixing their wounds.

I know this language all too well! For many years, I sat in my closet, hiding from the world because I felt embarrassed and ashamed. When well-meaning people encouraged me to leave behind the shame and regret, I would always point my finger at those responsible for my pain. Every year I stayed in that state was another year wasted. God can and will help and heal you, but you need to shift your focus away from yourself and consider all the other people you can help as you heal. You don’t overcome by dwelling on your circumstances, but through the blood of the Lamb and by the word of your testimony. Jesus’s shed blood has made us conquerors.

Jesus gave the man three instructions, which were to rise, take up thy bed, and walk. This is to say, come from under the circumstances of what had held you down mentally, take with you your bed, so that you may remember from what you have been delivered and move forward. God desires the same for you. Don’t miss out on the blessedness of being made whole in Christ Jesus.

Be encouraged.