Healing at the Pool

“Sometime later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 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?” John 5:1-6 (NIV)

I love water, and I believe water is alive. When I’m in the water, I pray. I believe water connects to our Lord because He is the living water. I used to swim in the morning in a community center before going to work, this was before the pandemic.

I met a fellow who also went there to swim. He seemed to know many people. I learned that he was a Rabbi. We became friends. He knew my Christian background, and we often shared scripture in the dressing room. He was surprised by my knowledge of their Torah. I’m pretty sure no Christians would be surprised by knowing the first 5 books of our Bible.

After not seeing him for a while, I saw him one day, and he looked unwell. His appearance showed visible symptoms of sickness. After some prayers in the water, I approached him in another lane and asked if I could pray for him. It was a bold move for a Christian to ask that to a Rabbi. He said yes and told me that he was having some health issues and also a fear of cancer. We agreed to meet in the lobby after swimming. I was in the lobby waiting for him.

He told me we needed to go somewhere so no one could see us. So, I followed him to an empty classroom. I asked him to sit in a chair so I could lay my right hand on his head.

“ I don’t believe in Jesus. Is that okay?” He said.

“ Do you want to be healed?” I said.

“ Yes”, he said.

Then I prayed in our Lord Jesus Christ’s name to cast out the evil spirit causing his sickness and also thanked our Lord for His faithfulness. It was a short prayer. The Rabbi thanked me and hugged me.

After two weeks, I saw him again in the dressing room.

I had never seen a smile so big. He came running toward me and yelling.

“The prayer worked! The prayer worked!”

Guess what? There was a second prayer.

This time, it was in an empty gym.

BecomElects Ministry