The Lord says:
"For you who have been overwhelmed, stressed, burdened, worried or anxious in your life, or you are facing a situation that you don't see any hope, look to Me and lean on Me. Like John who rested on My bosom, and like the man at the pool of Bethesda who trusted and believed in Me, I will carry your burden, and I will bring you through. There is no burden or situation in your life that I cannot carry. Cast all these care to Me, for I am the Lord who cares for you."
We all know that we are living in a very uncertain time. But there's a good news for you. The Lord is saying that He notices you, He cares for you, and He is here to carry all your burdens, whatever your burdens may be at the moment.
In reference to what the Lord has spoken just now, let's go to John 13:23 first. This verse says, 'Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.' And of course we know that he is John. You see the word 'leaning' here? Leaning on Jesus' bosom! The same it is for you right now. The Lord wants you to just rest in Him, lean on Him, and look to Him. Different people different. Your situation may be different from another person's situation. But the Lord knows it. The Lord notices it. And the Lord will bring you through. I declare that everything's going to be alright for you. Amen!
The word 'leaning' here is 'anakeimai' in Greek. This word can mean any of these: 'to rest on, to lie on, to eat together with, to have deep fellowship with.' In other words, the Lord is calling you to just rest in Him, lie on Him, lean on Him, come to a deeper communion with Him and in intimacy with His Spirit. And that's how even in the midst of the 'storm' around you, you can still have peace and calmness in your life.
John 5:2-4 says, 'Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.'
As you can see here, 'Bethesda' is the name of a pool near the Sheep Gate at Jerusalem. And Bethesda is where its waters was believed those days to have healing and curative power to heal every kind of sickness. The sick, blind, lame, paralyzed, and people with all kinds of troubles and diseases would converge there to wait for their turn to be healed. 'Bethesda' in Hebrew can mean 'house of mercy, house of kindness, house with flowing water'; where people received the mercy of God, the kindness of God, and the healing water of God.
But you know what? The problem is this: There's a long queue, and many people were waiting for that queue, waiting for their turn to receive their healing at the stirring of the water!
John 5:5-6 says, 'Now a certain man was there, and this man was there who had an infirmity 38 years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to this man, "Do you want to be made well?"'
Beloved, whatever situation you may be facing at the moment, the Lord is asking you the same. He loves you. He wants to heal you. He wants to restore you. It doesn't necessarily have to be a health condition like this man at Bethesda. It can be a soul problem. It can be a spiritual problem. It can be any problem you are facing in life at the moment. Whatever it may be, the Lord wants to visit you and meet with you.
John 5:7-9 says, 'The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me." Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.'
Do you see the scenario here at that time? Everybody wanted to be the next person to receive the healing touch of God, but there's just no opportunity for this sick man. But you know what? Jesus came along. Jesus saw him. Jesus noticed him. Jesus healed him.
Maybe you too are in a situation where no one notices you, no one cares for you, and no one takes a second look at you. But the Lord is saying to you right now He is here for you. You see, in this world where everybody is after their own things; it is a rat race, it is a dog-eat-dog world, it is a world that can be cruel; and you feel that you have been forgotten, you feel that no one notices you; I have a good news for you. God is here. God notices you. You are not just one among many in the crowd, like what happened to that man in Bethesda. When no one else notices you, Jesus notices you!
You know what? There's nothing in this life that cannot be solved when you are in Him, and when you learn to rest in Him, lean on Him, and look to Him. I believe this is the time He is going to minister to you directly. Yes, even if you are among a crowd of people, He notices you. And He is here to minister to you directly in your specific and unique situation.
You see, one beautiful thing about the Lord your God is He has never forgotten you, and He has never stopped working in your life - whether you see it with your physical eyes or not - whether He is working literally or working behind the scene in your life.
So, like the man at Bethesda, receive His touch right now. Receive His love. Receive His healing. Receive all that He wants you to receive right now.
I sense that in this time and season, the Lord is opening the window of heaven and releases the rain from heaven, releases the rain of the Holy Spirit right into your life. This rain will bring blessing from heaven right into your life. Receive this heavenly rain. Receive on behalf of your household as well. Receive and be blessed. Amen!
Now I want to point you to Psalm 71:1-3 that says, 'In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; Incline Your ear to me, and save me. Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually. You have given the commandment to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress.'
Do you notice there's this word 'resort' in the Scripture? And here you find it in Psalm 71, New King James Version. The word 'resort' here is 'bow' in Hebrew, and this word can mean 'to enter in, to run towards, to fall on (Him), to abide in, to confide in, to entrust something to someone for safe keeping'.
For the record, this psalm was written by David in a time of uncertainty and trouble. Notice that David was writing, 'O Lord, I can resort in You continually...' And David means 'Beloved'. And you too, as a beloved of God, you can enter into His presence continually, you can run towards Him continually, you can fall on Him and lean on Him continually, you can abide in Him continually, you can confide in Him continually, and you can entrust your situation to Him for safe keeping continually.
Isn't this good news in a time of uncertainty and trouble around us?
You see, many people in this world seem to not know what to expect in life, or what to expect for their future. They are worried. They are anxious. They are feeling hopeless. They are feeling troubled. But you need not be one of them. You can still have peace and calmness. You can still rest in the Lord, even in the midst of all these uncertainties and trouble, even in a great storm on this earth, whatever the storm may be (e.g. economic storm, political storm, etc). It's like being in the eye of the storm, at the center of a storm, yet you are not affected by the storm. Now, this is what happens when you lean on Him, when you rest on His bosom, and when you rest in His presence.
So, do you see that? All these verses that I've shared with you today, it all ties up. And at the end of the day, you know that the Lord has this message for you, that He wants to meet with you, and He wants to encounter with you. Why? Because He loves you. He wants to heal you. He wants to rescue you. He wants to make a way for you. Amen!
Let us pray: "O Lord God, we look to You. We lean on You. And we rest in You. Like John who rested on Your bosom, or like the man at the pool of Bethesda who trusted and believed in You. Whatever situation we may be facing at the moment, we can cast all these care to You, for You are the Lord who cares for us. Indeed there is no burden or situation in our lives that You cannot carry. You will see to it that You will carry our burdens, You will bring us through, You will know how to create a better future for each of us. We are grateful to You. We thank You for all that You have done in our lives. And we thank You in advance for all that You are going to do in our lives. In the name of Jesus. Amen."
