A Little Worn Out?

(Abigail preached this at our church last Wednesday.  I wanted to share with you today.)

Are you exhausted?

In Isaiah 35, God says, “I’m going to make the desert bloom.  If you’re thirsty, I’m going to give you water.  If you’re confused, I’m going to give you a paved road to walk on.” 

God wants to encourage you.

John 5 tells of the man who had an infirmity for over 38 years.  He was lying by the pools in Bethsaida, waiting and waiting.

Every once in a while, the angels would stir the water in these special pools, giving healing power.  People lined up next to the pools and made a mad dash for these waters.  The first one in would be made whole.

This man with an infirmity was there year after year.  Sometimes he might get on his elbow and roll down the steps.  If you’ve ever rolled down steps whether on purpose or accident, it’s not very fun. He would roll down the steps, finally get to the water, and look up…and someone had beat him!

He would crawl back up all the steps to sit again. Sometimes it would be really hot. Sometimes he would be hungry.  But he did not want to leave because he did not know where else to go.  So he would sit there.

Then some time later, a commotion would stir up…the waters were been troubled again!  The man would roll and roll.  (Surely he had bruises.)

He would get to the water and get in.  He looked up and realized, someone had already gotten in the water before he had!

He was worn out and exhausted.

There might have come a time when the angel stirred the water, and he didn’t have enough strength to get to where he needed to go.  He knew he needed help. He needed a touch.  But he didn’t know how to get help.

Then Jesus came right where this man was.  Jesus already had that man singled out and stopped by his way.

Jesus asked, “Wilt thou be made whole?”

The man said, “I can’t. No one can help me. I don’t have anybody.”

They don’t understand my problem.  I can’t take this problem to anybody else.  Even if I could explain to someone, they wouldn’t be able to help me.

Jesus said, “Rise up. Take up thy bed and walk.”

Sometimes when Jesus healed someone, they had to obey first.  But this time, God gave him the strength.  Jesus came right where the man was and gave him what he needed to get up and carry his bed.  He could do what he needed to do in life.

You might be worn out. You might reach up and not know how to get a hold of God like you’ve been wanting.  There’s no one who can help you.  Maybe the problem’s too big…or it’s been too long. Sometimes life has a way of putting you through the ringer.  You know you need help, but you’ve been floating through life.

Deserts can spring into gardens.  Places with parched ground, where it just looks like water, become a pool when God gets done! 

“I will lift up my eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help.”

That’s how!  That’s how to be strengthened when you have feeble hands, and you don’t know how to go on the rest of the week. God wants us to get our eyes on Him when He passes by. 

“Look unto me.  I’m the God who made heaven and earth.”

What would have happened if that man would have decided not to show up to the porches? If he decided that he was just going to stay home…that it wasn’t doing any good… that he wasn’t getting help at the pool.

Sometimes  you might be tempted to stay home and not go to the spiritual pools because you’re just exhausted.  But you don’t know when Jesus is going to show up.

How many times has Jesus been at the pool waiting for us? Are we still going back to the places where we know that we can get help?

Maybe you haven’t gotten a lot of help recently, but let’s go back to the places where God has helped us previously.

You need to be made whole.  You need strength so you can take up your bed and walk.

Make yourself available.

Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.  Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with recompence; he will come and save you.  Isaiah 35:3-4

Here comes God to those who are exhausted and worn out!