When You Need More Than Pills

Photo image courtesy Nancy C. Williams

When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” – John 5:6 (NKJV)

A middle-aged woman went to her physician, seeking help for several health problems, but her chief complaint was depression.

Over several months, her doctor treated her with anti-depressants. Although he tried different medications, none of them worked, and the woman continued to struggle with lack of energy and motivation.

Observing that his patient lived alone and had no family to help, the physician tried another approach. On her next visit, he suggested, “Why don’t you get a dog?”

He didn’t see her again for a while, but when she showed up, he noticed her countenance had dramatically improved, especially as she pulled out a photo album of her new dog! She was thrilled to tell the doctor what a great companion it had become. And she no longer needed anti-depressants.

I’m sharing this true story for the joy in it, not because a dog is a miracle healer. A puppy (or kitten) will not cure cancer, heart disease, or diabetes. But the story points to the types of healing our Great Physician provides.

There’s physical healing, of course. During Jesus’s ministry on earth, He restored sight to the blind, strength to withered limbs, and freedom to those afflicted by demonic possession.

But there was at least one occasion that demonstrated spiritual healing as well. At the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, Jesus encountered a lame man, disabled for 38 years. As with the woman at the well, Jesus already knew everything about the hurting people He met. With this lame man, He changed His usual question about healing from “What do you want Me to do?” to “Do you want to be made well?” It was a question designed to reveal the man’s true desires.

The lame man didn’t answer Jesus directly but made excuses about how he couldn’t make it into the pool in time to be healed whenever the waters were “troubled”. Jesus simply ignored the man’s response by commanding him to rise up, roll up his sleeping mat, and walk. The man obeyed, demonstrating an intensified desire for healing and Jesus’s power to provide it.

There are times we all need spiritual healing from bruises cast upon us in life. Sometimes we crave to be cured. And sometimes we wallow in self-centered pain, too weary for faith in Jesus’ transforming power. Like the lame man, I’ve occasionally lost all desire for help. At the same time, I’ve found that Jesus steps in when my hope is gone.

Friend, if you’re in a season of suffering, remember Jesus is ready to renew your soul, to bring you out of darkness into His light. He is always with you, just a whispered prayer away.

Question for Reflection:

1. Do you want to be made well? Ask Him in faith, cast your burdens upon Him, and trust in His healing for your soul. His grace is always the medicine your heart needs most.