Quick thought

John Chapter 5:1-15 tells us about the Pool of Bethesda.

Apparently the sick of all kinds would lie around this pool and periodically the waters of the pool would be supernaturally stirred and the first person to jump in.. or get thrown in would be healed.

I know that sounds a little glib... but there is a point here.

NOT EVERYONE WAS HEALED

In fact, a very small percentage of people were healed.  They had faith!!  This one guy had been hanging out there for 38 YEARS!!!  I'm sure others were there that long, or longer or only 20 or so years.  This is faith!!  Not a passing kind of faith.  A genuine, deep down abiding faith that God was going to do some healings.

I don't know how often these healings happened.  Obviously not that often.  38 years is a long time to wait.

Belief wasn't enough.  These people believed they could be healed... and there would be a healing... and the vast majority were not healed.

Does this mean God isn't enough?  nope

Here is another thought.... These are sick people.  I am sending out a 2000 year old (approximate) kudos to the ladies and gents who took care of these hurting people.  There had to be some... you don't sit around for 38 years without being fed. 

We tend to have the mentality that God is just going to help all these people who have faith to believe that God can and will help them and then sit back and watch for God to get the job done... like Jonah and the Ninevah thing.    Here is what usually happens in that case.  Hurting people become abandoned people... and hurt more.  While the good Christian people believe that God will just step in and change the day because some famous person had a nice little quote... or they take Jeremiah 29:11 completely out of context... Someone who could use some encouragement or physical or financial help sinks.  And learns not to trust people at all. 

In the best case scenario, they yield everything to God who comforts them in their affliction from the inside.  That's what God does.  He molds hearts and conforms them to Himself.  It is OUR job to bring on the real encouragement, give the leg up, assist, give... do the earthly things we can do because we can!!  

The other scenario is that they will just give up.  Give up on people, God, life...

The supernatural healings and fixer upping is not going to happen the majority of the time. 

For every King David, Esther, Job, Abraham, guy healed at the pool by Jesus himself (who left all kinds of them still sick on their mats), there are thousands who were not blessed in a financial way or healed.  

And its ok.  But we really need to get real about God and who He is and ditch our fantasy version happily ever after on earth God.