Stirring up the Living Waters within Us to bring Deliverance and Healing

Stirring up the Living Waters within Us to bring Deliverance and Healing

February 16

I was reading in John 5, where Jesus encounters a man who had been crippled for 38 years at the Pool of Bethesda. The significance of the Pool of Bethesda, meaning "house of mercy" or "living water," adds layers of depth to the spiritual narrative of Jesus' encounter. When Jesus approached the man, he posed a simple yet profound question: "Do you want to be healed?" (John 5:6).

The man's response illuminated his struggle to reach the healing waters, as tradition dictated that the first one in after the stirring of the water would be healed, the man was too late. However, Jesus defied convention by instructing the man to take up his bed and walk (John 5:8). In this moment, Jesus, the Word of God, revealed himself as the true Living Water, the embodiment of mercy, and the source of healing. The symbolism here points to Jesus as the ultimate source of both spiritual and physical restoration. Just as the man at the Pool of Bethesda was made whole through faith in Jesus, we too can access healing by stirring up the living water within us.

Scripture resonates with the imagery of stirring the waters, reminiscent of Genesis 1 where the Holy Spirit hovered over the face of the waters, initiating creation from chaos (Genesis 1:2,3) after God spoke “Let there be light”. This stirring represents our active engagement with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, leading to spiritual renewal and wholeness through the use of our prayer language, and then speaking the Word of God. The narrative extends beyond physical healing to encompass spiritual renewal and deliverance. Jesus' command to "sin no more" (John 5:14) underscores the connection between sin and affliction, suggesting that sinful strongholds may contribute to physical ailments. Through trusting in Jesus, we can remove those strongholds by engaging our prayer language to stir up our faith and then speaking the word of God boldly to bring about the deliverance we are after.

Drawing from the pattern established in Genesis 1, where God's creative power was unleashed through spoken word after the Spirits hovering over a chaotic earth, we too have the authority to speak healing and restoration into a problematic situation by using our prayer language and then speaking light into the situation. By aligning our words, through our prayer language, with the truth of God's promises (Word of God), we activate the power of faith and witness miraculous manifestations. Central to this understanding is the concept of resting in God's authority and sovereignty. Through faith, we enter into his rest where Isaiah and the apostle Paul seem to indicate that the prayer language (speaking in tongues) is that rest, trusting in his ability to accomplish the miraculous (1 Corinthians 14:21,22, Isaiah 28:11,12). As we yield to the Holy Spirit and align ourselves with the will of the Father, through using our prayer language and then speaking the Word of God just as He did in Genesis 1, we become vessels through which his healing and transformative power flow.

Ultimately, our journey into the healing waters of John 5 leads us to a profound engagement with the person of Jesus Christ, who is the Living Water and the Word of God. He is the source of all healing, the embodiment of mercy, and the fulfillment of our deepest longings. May we continue to abide in him, trusting in his power to bring forth life and restoration in every area of our lives by using the prayer language to stir up the living water and then speaking His Word into any chaotic situation we may encounter.