OPINION —
John 5:7 — “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up…”
There is something heartbreaking about that sentence.
For 38 years, a man lay beside a pool in Jerusalem. People believed that when the water stirred, healing would happen. So he watched. He waited. He listened. Every ripple meant hope.
Every splash meant possibility — But he never made it in.
When Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be made well?” the man didn’t say yes. He explained why he couldn’t get to the water. That’s what struck me recently. He had learned to trust the stirring.
He believed what the crowd believed. He listened to the voices around him. He built his hope around what everyone else said would work. And while he was watching the water in the pool, The Living Water was standing right there beside him.
How often do we do the same thing? We run toward what everyone says will fix us.
“If I just get that promotion.”
“If I just find the right relationship.”
“If I just move.”
“If I just improve my image.”
“If I just fix this one thing.”
We listen to podcasts, read self help books from well known “pastors,” we scroll through social media advice, we chase trends — we watch the “water stir.” But, rarely do we pause long enough to listen and hear His voice. Jesus didn’t tell the man to get into the pool. He didn’t help him into the water. He didn’t wait for a ripple. He said, “Rise.”
That’s it.
No spectacle, no stirring, no crowd. Jesus didn’t even ask for a donation. He just waited for the man’s obedience. Sometimes the greatest barrier to healing isn’t our condition — it’s the noise. The noise of culture, the noise of comparison, the noise of fear, the noise of what “everybody says.”
The man had been there long enough that his excuses sounded reasonable.
“I have no one.”
“Someone always goes before me.”
“It’s not my turn.” But Jesus cuts through all of it with a simple command. And here’s the part we can’t miss: obedience came before understanding. The man didn’t debate, he didn’t argue, he didn’t even wait for proof. He simply, and possibly for the first time in his life, took control over his circumstance and stood up.
There are seasons in life where we stand at our own “pool.” We’re convinced that if something external changes, then everything internal will be better. But Scripture consistently shows something different. God doesn’t always change the pool, but He never fails to change the person.
In another place, Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27). Not follow the crowd. Not follow the noise. Not follow the stirring. Follow Him.
Obedience often feels quieter than the spectacle.
It’s less dramatic, less impressive and doesn’t draw large crowds. But it is powerful. Real healing didn’t happen when the water stirred. It happened when the man responded to Jesus.
And that’s still true today. Peace doesn’t come from controlling outcomes. Joy doesn’t come from chasing every opportunity. Security doesn’t come from managing every detail. It comes from surrender. It comes from taking control and not blaming or even comparing ourselves to others. It comes from responding to His invitation and simply following His command — following Him.
There are many voices competing for our attention. Some sound wise, some sound urgent, some even sound spiritual. But not every stirred water is from God. The question is not,
“What is everyone else doing?” The question is,
“What is Jesus saying?” And more importantly,
Will I obey?
Maybe today you feel stuck. Maybe you’ve been waiting for something to change. Maybe you’ve been listening to too many voices. Take a moment to quiet the noise. He is closer than you think. And when He speaks … rise.
