Readings for Reflection
Do you want to get well? is a shocking question. Of course I want to be well! But then on closer reflection I am forced to ask, Do I really want to get well? At times I am so attached to my illness (today we could also say addiction) that I prefer illness to health. Possibly my illness (addiction) keeps me from facing the real problem or my real self. My illness could be the crutch I have used to hide or circumvent deeper spiritual problems.
The question also shocks because it reminds me that I am a participant in my road to health. God may indeed bring miraculous, sudden, or slow healing with or without the benefit of modern medicine. But it appears that God does not bring healing unless I desire to be whole. So once again I am reminded that I am partner with God. I am asked to participate in the healing process. Even in the miraculous healing I am asked to be a full participant.
In the passage where this question is posed (John 5:1-18) Jesus gives instructions to “take up your bed and walk.” The mental desire to be well now shifts to a physical act. I am asked to take some specific actions to open the doors to healing. Do I want to be well? Yes, yes, even if it means taking up my bed and carrying what has been carrying me. I am indeed helpless on my own, and I am indeed invincible with God. God does have the ability to make me whole once again. In obedience I will take up my bed and walk on the pathway to wholeness.
—Rueben P. Job,
A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God
In John 5:6, Jesus asks a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years a seemingly simple question: “Do you want to get well?” At first glance, it may seem obvious—of course he wants to be healed. But Jesus’ question digs deeper. It invites the man to confront not just his physical condition, but the deeper realities of his heart, his hopes, and perhaps even the identity he had built around his suffering. Sometimes, healing means stepping into a new life we’re not sure we’re ready for. Jesus’ question reminds us that His work in us isn’t just about fixing what’s broken—it’s about transforming our whole way of being.
Jesus asks the same question of us today. Whether it’s a wound you’ve carried for years, a sin you’ve grown used to, or a mindset that’s held you captive, He invites you to consider: Do you want to be made well? Healing begins not just with His power, but with our willingness to say yes—to trust Him enough to rise, pick up our mat, and walk into the wholeness He offers. Are you ready? —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics