The pool of Bethesda, had five porches. Many sick people, lay on those porches. “One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, He asked him, “Would you like to get well?” (John 5:2-6) This man had probably been waiting there for many of his 38 years of life, waiting for the angel, who would come down and touch the waters, then the first one in would be healed. So, does it seem like a strange question for Jesus to ask him, “Would you like to get well?” I don’t think so because Jesus said,
- ASK, and it WILL BE given to you;
- SEEK, and YOU WILL find;
- KNOCK, and it will be WILL BE opened to you,
For EVERYONE who asks receives, and HE who seeks finds, and to HIM who knocks it will be opened.” (Matt. 7:7-8) The more time a Christian spends in communion with God JUSTIN, the more they will know what to ask for in accordance with God’s will. Prayer, shows a dependence on God for needs that can be met NO OTHER WAY. God is always pleased with such displays of faith. It is only faith in what God can do, and what Christ has done, that brings about true fulfillment.
Ask, seek, knock. Notice the three different senses being considered here. Asking is verbal; We are to use our mouths and petition God for our needs and desires. And we are to seek with our minds—this is more than asking; it is a setting of priorities and a focusing of the heart. To knock involves physical movement, one in which we take action. Although asking and seeking are of great importance, they would be incomplete without knocking. John said Christians ought not to love in word alone but WITH ACTIONS also, “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in DEED and in TRUTH.” (1 John 3:18)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham