Pivot Point

Jesus said to him, "Get up, pick up your pallet and walk." Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. (John 5:8-9)

I have been impressed time and again about one important point that comes up in many stories of Jesus' healing of people. That is the issue of the need for a person to participate in their healing by exercising their own will in synchronization with the will of God for them. God is very keen to never interfere in the sacred circle of each person's freedom to choose. That freedom is the most sacred and important part of our being that He created and is what makes us even capable of entering into a love relationship with anyone else.

Satan's methods and the reflections of those principles that permeate counterfeit religions of all stripes violate this principle in many ways. People feel that it is acceptable and even godly at times to resort to force, intimidation, coercion and even deception to compel people to change or conform to their requirements or religion. But these all violate the freedom needed to experience true love and the kind of bonding that must take place for us to have the relationship with God that we were designed to enjoy. Anything that abuses our complete freedom to choose and follow our own conscience is not of God, it has the earmarks of the enemy of God.

This same truth applied to every interaction that Jesus had as He related to various situations while living here on earth. Jesus is God and so He has the very same respect for our freedom to choose or reject what He has to offer. God never changes because the principles of reality that reflect who He is never vary. God is love and the only way that love can be expressed and related to others is in complete freedom – there are no exceptions for that.

When Jesus came to this desperately sick man who was coming to the end of his life there near the pool of Bethesda, He knew that the man was in dire need of healing. Jesus' own heart was intensely moved with compassion for the man and He certainly had all the power and resources available to provide everything this man needed – except one thing. Because of the principle of absolute freedom to choose, Jesus had to leave the final choice for healing in the hands of the sick man himself. He would never impose healing on anyone. Sometimes he made it more explicit to people what their options were but in this case He simply offered words that indicated to this man that he was free to choose wholeness if he really wanted it seriously enough.

This morning's reading in My Utmost reinforced this very point.

We all have any number of visions and ideals when we are young, but sooner or later we find that we have no power to make them real. We cannot do the things we long to do, and we are apt to settle down to the visions and ideals as dead, and God has to come and say—“Arise from the dead.” When the inspiration of God does come, it comes with such miraculous power that we are able to arise from the dead and do the impossible thing. The remarkable thing about spiritual initiative is that the life comes after we do the ‘bucking up.’ God does not give us overcoming life; He gives us life as we overcome. When the inspiration of God comes, and He says—“Arise from the dead,” we have to get up; God does not lift us up. Our Lord said to the man with the withered hand— “Stretch forth thy hand,” and as soon as the man did so, his hand was healed, but he had to take the initiative. If we will do the overcoming, we shall find we are inspired of God because He gives life immediately. (My Utmost for His Highest, February 16)

This principle of taking hold of the option of life from Jesus' hands is never to be confused with attempting to overcome in our own strength thinking that we have to perform to some level before God will accept us. That is an extremely grave mistake to make and leads into all sorts of very discouraging legalistic thinking which is an equally deadly trap to fall into. Notice that Chambers did not say that God gives us life after we overcome, he said that we receive life as we overcome. It is an issue of our will choosing to act on the words of Jesus to our soul before we see or feel the results. That is the very definition of faith.

It is not up to us to supply any of the power whatsoever to accomplish what Jesus invites us to do. We never will get anywhere in accessing God's saving power for us if we make the mistake of thinking we have to help God out by supplying some of the power. That is part of the trap in believing the adage, 'God helps those who help themselves.' The only thing we have to bring to the transaction is our choice to put our own will in sync with the will of God. When our will comes into harmony with God's will we will suddenly find that the infinite power of God is surprisingly inside of us and then nothing is any longer impossible.

I looked up this story in another book, The Desire of Ages that is considered the best commentary on the life of Christ ever written. I found the same principle explained very clearly in relation to this same story.

Jesus does not ask this sufferer to exercise faith in Him. He simply says, "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk." But the man's faith takes hold upon that word. Every nerve and muscle thrills with new life, and healthful action comes to his crippled limbs. Without question he sets his will to obey the command of Christ, and all his muscles respond to his will. Springing to his feet, he finds himself an active man.

Jesus had given him no assurance of divine help. The man might have stopped to doubt, and lost his one chance of healing. But he believed Christ's word, and in acting upon it he received strength.

Through the same faith we may receive spiritual healing. By sin we have been severed from the life of God. Our souls are palsied. Of ourselves we are no more capable of living a holy life than was the impotent man capable of walking. There are many who realize their helplessness, and who long for that spiritual life which will bring them into harmony with God; they are vainly striving to obtain it. In despair they cry, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24, margin). Let these desponding, struggling ones look up. The Saviour is bending over the purchase of His blood, saying with inexpressible tenderness and pity, "Wilt thou be made whole?" He bids you arise in health and peace. Do not wait to feel that you are made whole. Believe His word, and it will be fulfilled. Put your will on the side of Christ. Will to serve Him, and in acting upon His word you will receive strength. Whatever may be the evil practice, the master passion which through long indulgence binds both soul and body, Christ is able and longs to deliver. He will impart life to the soul that is "dead in trespasses." (Ephesians 2:1). He will set free the captive that is held by weakness and misfortune and the chains of sin. (DA 203)