09/04/2026
In John 5, we read about a man who couldn’t walk. “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?’” (John 5:6). The man’s response was surprising. He gave Jesus an excuse based on the fact that no one would help him. Isn’t it amazing that the man was so focused on what others needed to do that he almost missed what Jesus could do?
Jesus instructed him to get up, pick up his mat and walk — and “at once the man was cured” (John 5:9, NIV). The healing didn’t involve anyone but the man and Jesus.
The other healing miracle is found in John 9 and focuses on a blind man. In this story, the disciples wanted to know whose actions caused the man’s blindness. Surely someone was at fault.
But Jesus said, “This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3, NIV). Jesus then spat on the ground, mixed up some mud, rubbed it on the blind man’s eyes, and instructed him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. Notice that Jesus didn’t make healing contingent on other people doing or owning anything.
Jesus gave the instruction. The blind man obeyed. Jesus healed. The man moved forward.
Moving forward and seeing beyond our current darkness is between us and the Lord. We don’t need to wait for others to do anything. We must simply obey what God is asking of us right now. God has given us a new way to walk. And God has given us a new way to see.
My emotional healing is my choice. And your healing? It’s with the utmost compassion that I say your healing is your choice too. I know how incredibly hard all of this is. But we can heal. We can forgive. We can trust God. And none of those beautiful realities can be held hostage by another person.