Moments with my First Love [UNDER REVISION]

MOMENT 18: How long have you been invalid?

What has been "stuck" in your life for a long time now? Is it a prayer you've been waiting to be answered? A wound you thought would've healed years ago? A habit you've been trying to break but somehow keeps finding its way back? 

Or maybe it's not something people can see. Maybe it's the heaviness you carry every day, the joy you slowly lost, the forgiveness you still struggle to give, or the faith that once burned so brightly but now only flickers. 

We often say, "Time heals." But if that were completely true, then why do some pains remain even after many years? Why do some people smile on the outside while quietly bleeding on the inside? Perhaps healing has never been about the passing of time. Perhaps it has always been about the One who holds time in His hands.

Let's read from the book of John 5:5-9.

One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, Do you want to be healed? The sick man answered him, Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me. Jesus said to him, Get up, take up your bed, and walk. And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.

One detail immediately caught my attention. The Bible didn't simply say the man was sick. It called him an invalid. When I looked into the meaning of the word, one definition stood out... without foundation or force in fact or truth. Isn't that interesting? Sometimes our lives become spiritually and emotionally "invalid" because we've slowly stopped building them on the truth of God's Word. 

We begin believing our fears more than His promises. We trust our feelings more than His faithfulness. We let our circumstances define us more than the God who created us. Jesus Himself said that the wise man is the one who builds his house upon the rock (Matthew 7:24–25). Storms still came, but the house remained because its foundation remained. Maybe some of our deepest struggles don't begin with what happened to us. Maybe they begin with where we've chosen to stand.

Another meaning of the word invalid is someone suffering from disease or disability. Suffering is part of living in a broken world. Jesus never promised that following Him would exempt us from pain. In fact, He said, "In this world you will have tribulation." (John 16:33).

Tears and pain are part of life. But what struck me in this story wasn't that the man suffered. It was that he had remained in the same condition for thirty-eight years. Imagine waking up every morning in the same place? You carry the same burden, hoping for the same miracle that never seemed to come. Thirty-eight years is almost four decades! That's long enough for pain to become familiar. Long enough for disappointment to become normal. Long enough for hopelessness to quietly feel like home. It's frustrating to like that kind of life.

Yet, the beautiful thing is that before the man ever spoke, the Bible already tells us something about Jesus. "When Jesus saw him... and knew that he had already been there a long time..." That verse comforts me every time I read it. The man didn't have to explain how long he had suffered because Jesus already knew. He didn't have to convince Jesus that his pain was real because Jesus had already seen it. Ganito rin si Lord sa atin. There are prayers you've never spoken out loud. You have tears you've been hiding from everyone and battles nobody knows you're fighting. But none of those are hidden from Him. Before you tell Him your story, He already knows every chapter of it. Before you ask for help, He already sees exactly where you are!

Then Jesus asked what seems like a strange question: "Do you want to be healed?" At first, it sounds unnecessary. Siyempre, gusto niyang gumaling! Thirty-eight years na siyang naghihintay! But Jesus never asks unnecessary questions. He wasn't even asking because He lacked information. He was just inviting the man to examine his own heart.

Sometimes we think we desperately want healing, but if we're honest, there are moments when we've grown so used to our pain that we no longer know who we are without it. For a long time, we became unaware that our wounds become our identity. Our struggles become our comfort zone. We pray for healing, yet we keep entertaining habits, thoughts, or even places that keep us wounded.

But take a look at this. The man's response surprised me. Jesus asked a yes or no question, yet he answered with an explanation. "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool..." He come simply answer, "Yes, Lord." But he immediately talked about people! Napaisip ako. How many times have I done the same thing? God asks me if I trust Him, and I start talking about my circumstances. God calls me to move forward, and I begin listing all the reasons why I can't. We often answer God based on how we think He should heal us instead of simply trusting that He will.

Maybe that's why some healing takes longer than it should, we're expecting healing to come from somewhere else other than Jesus, Himself. The invalid man believed his miracle depended on someone carrying him to the pool. Jesus wanted him to discover that his miracle was standing right in front of him. How often do we do the same? We wait for people to change before we heal. We wait for someone to apologize. We wait for someone to understand us. We wait for the perfect counselor, the perfect friend, the perfect relationship... Well, yes, those things are gifts from God, but they were never meant to replace God. 

Psalm 146:3 gently reminds us, "Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save." People can comfort us. Loved ones can pray for us. Friends may walk beside us. But only Jesus can heal what no human hand can reach.

Then Jesus gave a command that almost seemed impossible, "Get up, take up your bed, and walk." Notice that Jesus didn't first remove the bed. He told the man to stand up from it. I couldn't help but wonder if sometimes our "bed" isn't just where we've been lying—it's where we've become comfortable.

Maybe it's the comfort of self-pity or bitterness. The comfort of fear because it keeps us from taking risks. The comfort of remaining offended because forgiving feels harder. 

But you know what? Healing often begins where comfort ends. Faith almost always requires movement before we see the miracle. Remember the story when Noah built the ark before the rain? How about the story when Peter stepped out of the boat before he walked on water? Oh, diba? God has always honored faith that moves!

Verse 9 simply says, "At once the man was healed." I love how simple that sounds. Jesus didn't make a long announcement. He didn't ask everyone to gather around and witness it! The man simply obeyed, and healing followed. 

Sometimes we've been waiting for a dramatic sign from heaven when God has already spoken through His Word. The Bible has long declared that He is our Healer (Exodus 15:26). His promises have already been written. The invitation now is to believe them enough to take the next step of faith.

Maybe your invalidity isn't physical. Maybe it's emotional. The unforgiveness you've been carrying for years. The grief that has stolen your joy. Maybe the shame that has silenced your calling. Or the repeated sin that has slowly extinguished your passion for God. Whatever it is, remember that your condition has never intimidated Jesus. 

Before you even cried out to Him, He already knew where you were. And today, I believe He's asking the same question He asked that man beside the pool... "Do you want to be healed?"

And when you answer Him, don't answer Him with your excuses or fears. Don't ever answer Him with the names of the people who disappointed you. Answer Him with your faith. Because the same Jesus who spoke healing then is still speaking healing now.

Now, call upon His Name.
Rise.
Take up your bed.
And walk in your faith.

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Highly_FavoreDiiTo God be all the Glory!