07/18/2026
Good Morning! Steeped in this profound question;
Do You Want to Be Well?
💛☕💛
It almost seems like a silly question with an obvious answer. This is the question that Jesus asks the sick man in John 5:1-16. The man is sick. He’s been sick for 38 years, in fact. Of course, he wants to be well. But does he really? So, Jesus asks. Jesus is personally asking each of us this same question. Do we want to be well?
Maybe some are struggling with illness, perhaps a chronic health challenge that has been affecting you for years. Maybe some of you are struggling with anxiety or depression or fears or worries that never seem to lift. Perhaps there is a deep ache and pain from which you would like to be delivered and freed from. Or maybe you don’t really know the area of your life that needs healing, yet you know you can do better.
Maybe you feel like everything is fine, and you’d like to just say that all is well, and you don’t really need Jesus coming into your life and asking questions about it, because perhaps in actuality, it hurts too much just to think about. To you, Jesus asks, “Do you want to be well?” What might happen if you are fully healed?
Sometimes, we become so familiar with our struggles that we identify with those challenges and weaknesses. Perhaps if we were to be fully well, we might not know what to do with ourselves. If healed, we might lose a part of ourselves or become a different person, or we might have to change and live in an entirely new way. And change can feel frightening, especially when it’s uncertain what new kind of life might look like.
The sick man in the Gospel never actually answers Jesus’ question. Wrapped up in the practical details of being unable to get down to the healing water, the man tells Jesus the obstacles rather than clearly answering the question. Jesus doesn’t bother with those details nor the man’s avoidance of what was asked. “Rise, take up your mat and walk,” He says. Jesus knows what he needs and offers him the healing and new life he desires. He offers the same to every one of us. He knows what we need.
No prayers go unheard, Dear Heart, keep on praying. I am praying that this challenging question, 'Do you want to be well?' increases all of our faith this day, no matter how complex or trivial the situation may be. God is that good!! Be well! 💛
