God with us, Emmanuel

"Jesus saw him lying, and knowing that he had been sick for a long time, said to him : "Wilt thou be healed ?" John 5.6

 

Have you ever wondered what this man could have been thinking for all these years (38, to be exact) during which he was waiting to be healed, and during which the healing never occurred ? One can easily imagine that he must feel alone, abandoned.
You are no longer alone. Someone has seen your pain ... Someone loves you deeply, you.

But that day, things will be different. Jesus arrives and sees Him. Jesus has another name in the Bible. It bears the name Emmanuel which means "God with us". This man, sick for 38 years, felt alone ... and he was ! But now Emmanuel was with him.

At this point, it is as if the Holy Spirit said to him : "You are no longer alone. Someone saw your pain. Someone came down to deliver you. Someone loves you deeply, you. Someone has compassion on you. His mercy is for you. It is not too late. It's not over yet. Jesus is there. It is God's answer to your problem. He's your friend. He is the friend of sinners, of the sick, of those who are rejected or despised. He approaches you with a burning heart of love and a look filled with compassion."

This man had no one to throw him into the pool when the water was agitated by an angel. By the time he dragged himself into the water, another had thrown himself before him. For 38 years, he had never been the first. And on this day he becomes the first and center of all the interest of Jesus. For the first time in 38 years, this man will win. He will finally turn his gaze away from the surface of the water and turn Jesus.

Imagine for a moment these two eyes that intersect ! The look of this man invalid for so many years and that of Jesus. What a meeting ...

Jesus wants to cross your gaze too, today. He looks for you. He also has a question to ask you because he wants to act in your life. What is the question that he asks you that could free you ? He is Emmanuel : God is with you.

An action for today

Take a few seconds to open your heart to God, and there, in silence, listen to him ask you the question you need to hear. Answer it while keeping your eyes fixed on it and watch it act in your life.

Eric Célérier

Source (The Thought of the Day)