Encounters with God

8.3.2011

John 5:14 14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” NIV

What do we want from God? Wait! Before you think about that, let me say I think we all want God (or god, or someone, whoever it may be) to do for us what we believe we cannot do for ourselves. We want God to make so and so love us and accept us. We want God to make us whole and well. We want God to provide for us and give us peace. But from the experience I’ve had and the verse above, we don’t seem to want to give God anything in return.

The man in John 5 (Vv. 1-15) seemed to have some expectations but seemed to be stuck because of his disability; because of his mind-set. He was convinced if only he could get to the stirring water (v. 7) his problems wound be over. You get beat to the punch so many times you sometimes get tired of being beat; and just giving up can come easy. But that kind of mindset can work against us just as much as any disability can.

In the midst of great difficulty who comes to our aid? The man at the pool just wanted someone – anyone – to throw him into the water. Jesus came along and threw that expectation out the window. And then came the ‘Now What?’ Now that I’m healed, now that my life is different; now that my expectations upon which I placed so much hope and promise…are gone – now what!?

Jesus made a curious statement to the man that we, who place such high expectations on people, places, circumstances, and things, ought to pay attention to: See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you. Apparently, what happened to the man didn’t have much of an impact on his soul. Apparently, there was another requirement that he hadn’t factored in all those years laying by the pool; stop sinning. We want God to help us out of the current crisis not so that we can live for Him and serve Him, but so that we can be left alone to find our way into the next crisis. And the cycle perpetuates.

What is required of me with God is that I look to Him for help and stop doing the things that get me into the current crisis. I must give myself totally to God no matter the crisis I’m in, and have faith that He will provide whatever way is necessary to cause the greatest spiritual growth in my life. When God asks me if I want to get well I’d better be ready for anything else He asks of me: stop sinning or something worse may happen. Encounters with God are designed to get me to pay attention to Him, not to accept whatever He gives and then go on alone along my merry way.