Day 3: Grace that seeks
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?” “Sir,” the [man with the disability] replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me” (John 5:6-7).
We praise You, God of love for Your tender mercies and compassion. You are the God who says of the needy and defenseless, When they cry out to Me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. (Exodus 22:27).
Lord Jesus, You see the unseen. You see what no one else sees, hears what no one else hears. And two thousand years ago when You said to a paralyzed man, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6), You demonstrated to every age and to every generation the grace that seeks out, the compassion that draws near.
Lord for every one of Your image-bearers who feels devalued— who have believed the lies of "less than", of "not enough" of "too different", of "too far gone"— for all who feel lost in the crowd— overlooked, shoved aside, trampled— You still reach out today. You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and You listen to their cry… (Psalm 10:17).
To all who this day struggle to move forward— to all those paralyzed or hobbled by burdens, stress, worry, anxiety, mental and emotional anguish, physical pain— bring Your peace and rest. Remind us, O Lord, that You meet us at our point of need, that You offer us hope and healing. Remind us that You are still the God who speaks into pain and paralysis, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk” (John 5:8).
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
Pure unbounded love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation,
Enter every trembling heart.
~ Charles Wesley ~ pub. 1747
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