Faithful Waiting: Embracing God's Perfect Timing
Summary
### Summary
In John chapter 5, we encounter a man who had been ill for 38 years, lying by the pool of Bethesda, waiting for healing. Jesus, upon seeing him, asked, "Do you want to be well?" The man explained his predicament, but Jesus simply commanded him to get up, pick up his pallet, and walk. This story is a profound illustration of God's timing and the importance of faithful waiting. God's timing is not our timing, and sometimes, He allows us to go through prolonged periods of suffering to teach us valuable lessons that will strengthen us for future challenges.
Waiting is one of the hardest aspects of faith. In our fast-paced world, we want immediate results, but God often asks us to wait. This waiting period is not without purpose; it is a time for growth and preparation. The man at the pool had more faith in the pool's healing properties than in Jesus, who stood before him. This highlights a common issue: we often place our faith in the wrong things, missing the divine appointment God has set for us.
With God, it's never about possibility but about appointment. We have an appointment because we have a promise from God. This promise assures us of healing, whether in this life or the next. Jehovah El Roy, the God who sees us, is always aware of our struggles and is with us through them. He knows our pain and our needs, and His timing is perfect.
Jesus' command to the man to get up, pick up his pallet, and walk was not just a physical healing but a call to a new life. It was a declaration to leave behind the old life of suffering and step into a new life of faith and action. This command is a reminder that with God, all things are possible. We are called to get up, pick up our burdens, and walk in faith, trusting that God will provide and guide us.
### Key Takeaways
1. God's Timing vs. Our Timing: God's timing is not aligned with our human expectations. While we may suffer and wait for long periods, God uses this time to prepare us for greater things. Our faith is tested and strengthened in the waiting. Trusting in God's timing means believing that He has a purpose for our struggles and that He will fulfill His promises in His perfect time. [02:25]
2. Faith in the Right Source: The man at the pool had more faith in the pool's healing properties than in Jesus. This teaches us to place our faith in God rather than in worldly solutions. True healing and fulfillment come from God alone, and recognizing His presence and power in our lives is crucial. [06:45]
3. Appointment with a Promise: With God, it's not about the possibility of healing but the certainty of His promise. We have an appointment with God because He has promised us healing and restoration. This assurance should give us hope and strength to endure our current trials, knowing that God's promises are sure. [07:42]
4. Jehovah El Roy - The God Who Sees: God sees us in our pain and struggles. He is aware of every detail of our lives and cares deeply for us. This knowledge should comfort us and remind us that we are never alone. God is always with us, seeing and understanding our situation better than we do. [16:01]
5. Get Up, Pick Up, and Walk: Jesus' command to the man to get up, pick up his pallet, and walk is a call to action for all of us. It signifies leaving behind our old life of suffering and stepping into a new life of faith and obedience. With God, all things are possible, and we are empowered to overcome our struggles and live abundantly. [30:48]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[00:56] - The Pool of Bethesda
[01:36] - God's Timing and Faithful Waiting
[02:25] - God's Timing vs. Our Timing
[03:14] - The Hardest Part of Faith
[04:17] - The Man's 38-Year Struggle
[05:43] - Faith in the Right Source
[06:45] - The Miracle of the Pool
[07:42] - Appointment with a Promise
[08:40] - Daily Devotions and God's Promises
[09:29] - Seeing Healing for Others
[10:59] - Weighty Questions of Faith
[13:14] - God's Eternal Nature
[14:20] - Jehovah El Roy - The God Who Sees
[16:01] - Hagar's Story and God's Sight
[19:00] - God Shows Up
[20:56] - The Importance of Community
[22:16] - The Good Shepherd
[23:15] - The Sheep Gate
[24:27] - Do You Want to Be Made Whole?
[25:35] - A Faith Check
[26:32] - Do You Still Want It?
[27:52] - Tried by Fire
[29:16] - Get Up, Pick Up, and Walk
[30:48] - Jesus' Command and God's Power
[32:08] - God Calls Us to the Impossible
[33:29] - All Things Are Possible with God
[34:54] - Removing the Residency of Your Past
[36:29] - Live Abundantly
[38:12] - Jesus is Better
[40:24] - A Testimony of Healing
[43:17] - He's Better, So I'm Better
[45:01] - Pick Up Your Mat and Walk
[47:08] - Invitation to Respond
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
- John 5:1-9 (NIV)
> "Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, 'Do you want to get well?' 'Sir,' the invalid replied, 'I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.' At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath."
#### Observation Questions
1. What was the man's condition and how long had he been suffering? (John 5:5)
2. What did Jesus ask the man at the pool of Bethesda? (John 5:6)
3. How did the man respond to Jesus' question about wanting to be well? (John 5:7)
4. What command did Jesus give to the man, and what was the result? (John 5:8-9)
#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think Jesus asked the man if he wanted to be well, even though his condition was obvious? [00:56]
2. How does the man's faith in the pool's healing properties rather than in Jesus reflect common issues in our own faith journeys? [06:45]
3. What does the story of the man at the pool teach us about God's timing versus our timing? [02:25]
4. How does the name Jehovah El Roy, "The God Who Sees," provide comfort in times of prolonged suffering? [16:01]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you had to wait for something important. How did that waiting period test and strengthen your faith? [03:14]
2. Are there areas in your life where you are placing more faith in worldly solutions than in God? How can you shift your focus to trust in God's power and timing? [06:45]
3. How can you remind yourself daily of God's promises, especially during difficult times? What practical steps can you take to stay grounded in His Word? [08:40]
4. In what ways can you recognize and respond to God's divine appointments in your life, rather than focusing on what seems possible or impossible? [07:42]
5. How does knowing that God sees and understands your struggles change the way you approach your current challenges? [16:01]
6. Jesus commanded the man to "get up, pick up your pallet, and walk." What burdens or past experiences do you need to leave behind to step into a new life of faith and action? [30:48]
7. Think of a specific area in your life where you need to "get up, pick up, and walk." What steps will you take this week to act on this command and trust in God's provision? [36:29]
Devotional
Day 1: Trusting in God's Perfect Timing
Description: God's timing often does not align with our human expectations. We may endure long periods of suffering and waiting, but these times are not without purpose. God uses these periods to prepare us for greater things, testing and strengthening our faith. Trusting in God's timing means believing that He has a purpose for our struggles and that He will fulfill His promises in His perfect time. This is a profound lesson from the story of the man at the pool of Bethesda, who waited 38 years for healing. Jesus' intervention at the right moment illustrates that God's timing is always perfect, even if it doesn't match our own. [02:25]
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (ESV): "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end."
Reflection: Think of a time when you felt frustrated by waiting. How can you shift your perspective to see this waiting period as a time of preparation and growth in your faith?
Day 2: Placing Faith in the Right Source
Description: The man at the pool of Bethesda had more faith in the pool's healing properties than in Jesus, who stood before him. This highlights a common issue: we often place our faith in the wrong things, missing the divine appointment God has set for us. True healing and fulfillment come from God alone. Recognizing His presence and power in our lives is crucial. We must learn to place our faith in God rather than in worldly solutions, understanding that He is the ultimate source of our healing and restoration. [06:45]
Jeremiah 17:5-8 (ESV): "Thus says the Lord: 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.'"
Reflection: Identify an area in your life where you have been relying on worldly solutions. How can you begin to place your faith in God for that specific need today?
Day 3: Assurance of God's Promises
Description: With God, it's not about the possibility of healing but the certainty of His promise. We have an appointment with God because He has promised us healing and restoration. This assurance should give us hope and strength to endure our current trials, knowing that God's promises are sure. The story of the man at the pool of Bethesda reminds us that God's promises are reliable and that we can trust Him to fulfill them in His perfect timing. [07:42]
2 Peter 1:4 (ESV): "By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire."
Reflection: Reflect on a promise from God that you are holding onto. How does this promise give you hope and strength in your current situation?
Day 4: Jehovah El Roy - The God Who Sees
Description: God sees us in our pain and struggles. He is aware of every detail of our lives and cares deeply for us. This knowledge should comfort us and remind us that we are never alone. God is always with us, seeing and understanding our situation better than we do. The story of Hagar in the wilderness, where she encounters Jehovah El Roy, the God who sees, is a powerful reminder of God's intimate awareness and care for us. [16:01]
Genesis 16:13 (ESV): "So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, 'You are a God of seeing,' for she said, 'Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.'"
Reflection: Think of a time when you felt unseen or forgotten. How does knowing that God sees and cares for you change your perspective on that experience?
Day 5: Get Up, Pick Up, and Walk
Description: Jesus' command to the man to get up, pick up his pallet, and walk is a call to action for all of us. It signifies leaving behind our old life of suffering and stepping into a new life of faith and obedience. With God, all things are possible, and we are empowered to overcome our struggles and live abundantly. This command is a reminder that we are called to take action in faith, trusting that God will provide and guide us. [30:48]
Isaiah 40:31 (ESV): "But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to take a step of faith? What action can you take today to begin walking in obedience to God's call?
Quotes
1. "God's timing is not your timing. There's some things you need to know about God's timing. It's not congruent with your timing. What I mean by that is if you've been suffering for quite some time, maybe 38 years, and you're looking up to heaven talking about God, where you've been, I thought you loved me. Remember, God's timing is not your timing. God is able and willing to snap his fingers and let it be so. But he's also able and willing to let you, the one he loves the most, go through something long enough to learn something strong enough to get through something later that you need to get through on the other side." [02:25] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Waiting is the hardest part of faith. Because you can have all the faith in the world, in the supreme highest king of the universe, Yahweh, the creator and the originator of our faith. You can have all the faith in the world in him and still have to struggle. In some ways, with this hardest part called waiting. Nobody likes to wait. Especially in the year 2024, we want it now." [03:14] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "With God, it's never about possibility. It's always about appointment. With God, it is never about possibility. It is always about appointment. Somebody say, I got an appointment because I got a promise. I got an appointment because I got a promise. For you and I today, how this applies to you and I today. We're going down pools waiting on healing, but there are some things that we're going through in our life. And some of us have been going through these things for 38 years. And what I want to say is, we have an appointment because we got a promise." [07:42] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "Jehovah El Roy is a name given to God in Genesis chapter 16 by a woman by the name of Hagar. You know Hagar? Anybody ever heard of Hagar? In the wilderness, Hagar is oppressed, depressed and suppressed. She is all of those. She is at her wits end and about ready to end it all in that moment in the wilderness by herself. Jehovah El Roy steps on the scene Jehovah El Roy is the God who sees me. I don't know if there's anybody in this place today that needed to know that God sees you. Our God, the healer and the king of kings, the Lord of lords and the creator of the universe sees you right where you are." [16:01] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "When we encounter seasons of pain and uncertainty, and nobody seems to have the answers to our questions, it's easy to just feel distant from any real relief. But hold on, because I got an appointment, because I got a promise. I got an appointment, because I got a promise. If you're in here and you got a promise from the Lord, which if you're holding God's holy Word in your hand, you got an appointment because you got a promise. Amen? I got an appointment because I got a promise." [14:20] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6. "Do you still want the blessings of God to be poured out on your life? We talked in small group on Wednesday about people doing what they want. You do what you want, right? If you want the blessings of the Lord poured out on your life, then you give because the more you give, the more you get. That's a different sermon. I shouldn't have even gone into that. Do you still want faith like David? Well, then you better buckle up because he who is faithful in little will be made in charge to be faithful over much." [27:52] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7. "So, when Jesus says, pick up your mat, it's a declaration to remove the residency of your past. So, what has been your residency? What has been your life for maybe 38 years? These things that have loomed over you, your existence for the last, however, up your mat he says pick up pick up your get up and pick up i'm gonna pick up i'm choosing to believe my god for the healing process i'm going to set my sights on the things above and so some of y'all think what i mean by pick up is i'm gonna pick up but what i really mean is it's a it's a choice it's a conscious choice a perspective to pick i'm going to choose up i'm gonna set my sights on the things above." [34:54] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8. "The thief comes only to steal kill and destroy and if you were being honest i know you won't answer correctly but much like the how are you question um maybe we'll ask this question uh or make this statement for most of you the thief has come to steal kill and destroy and and uh he's left you in a place of lacking but listen to this the thief comes only to steal kill and destroy i came why did jesus come to this earth i came so that they would have life and have it abundantly he says live he tells the man get up pick up and live get up pick up and live hey god is telling the church to get up pick up and walk not because everything is perfect but because you have the faith to believe that he's better somebody say he's better jesus is better he's better than what you're looking at right now he's better than uh how you feel he's better than what you're doing." [36:29] (67 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
9. "Some of y'all see me toting this mat and think I'm crazy. But some of y'all in this room see a testimony of how what carried me, I now carry. God has put me, oh, God has put me over. What was once over me. I don't know if everybody in this room grew up with a silver spoon in their mouth. But never a day in my life did I think I could go to the store and pick me up a tie like this one. I like this tie. It's a nice tie. There was once a time where if I bought this tie without first consulting my financial advisor, Sandra Kaiser, baby bottles and doors would be thrown across the room. no, Jesus is better. And what I'm getting at is God has brought me to this place. He's brought me up. He's brought me. Is there anybody in this place that God has just brought you up?" [45:01] (61 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
10. "I know somebody in this room had to hear what the lord had to say i know somebody in this room been fighting on the inside i'm talking a war that's been waged on the inside of you that says just end i know people in this room right now i've been praying for you i don't know you uh by specifics i don't know you by the count of hairs that you got on your head but god does he's jehovah el roy he sees you in this place right here and right now and he's calling to you by the power of the holy spirit in this place let it go you remember forgiveness let it go there's people that have been wrestling all morning i don't care to be here right now but my mama made me i don't want to be here right now but if i didn't go so and so would say something about it i think you're exactly who god wants to talk to you and of you in here that have just felt like you've been in this state of stale stagnant faith god wants to tell you renewed be rejuvenated in your faith come to this altar bow at his feet release it at his feet never to be picked up again get up pick up and walk you'll get up and walk back you'll get up and be better those thoughts that keep you up at night they'll get better that pain that hurts you keeps you held down to the recliner it'll get better those anxieties and those fears that got you feeling like you're having heart attacks every day of the week it gets better so would you take this time now and come get better" [48:40] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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