Beth Willis Miller, M.Ed., is the author of Memorable Moments in the Holy Land, The Romans Road To Salvation; 26 Devotions Focusing on Christ in the Nativity Alphabet; Twenty Encouraging Devotions with Inspiring Bible Journaling Artwork; Name Above All Names Devotional: Focusing on 26 Alphabetical Names of Christ, with Illustrator Krista Hamrick, and 31-Day Prayer Journey Leading to Easter. She is married with two adult children, and two grandsons.
Memorable Moments in the Holy Land Invites Readers on a
Faith-Filled Journey Through the Places Where the Bible Came to Life
Christian author Beth Willis Miller shares inspiring
reflections from multiple pilgrimages that deepen faith, illuminate Scripture,
and bring readers closer to the land of the Bible.
LAKELAND, FL — Christian author Beth Willis Miller
announces the release of her new inspirational book, “Memorable Moments
in the Holy Land,” a heartfelt collection of personal reflections from
multiple pilgrimages through the sacred places where the events of Scripture
unfolded. Blending biblical history, personal testimony, and devotional
insight, the book invites readers to experience the Holy Land in a way that
strengthens faith and brings God's Word vividly to life.
From the peaceful shores of the Sea of Galilee to the
solemn stillness of the Garden of Gethsemane, each chapter captures
meaningful moments from locations central to the Christian faith, including Bethlehem,
Capernaum, the Jordan River, the Mount of Olives, the Garden
Tomb, and many other biblical sites. Through engaging storytelling and
thoughtful reflection, Miller helps readers connect the pages of Scripture with
the very places where Jesus lived, taught, ministered, died, and rose again.
The inspiration for the book began in 2000 when Miller
traveled to Israel as one of hundreds of women participating in the filming of
the Lifeway Bible study “Jesus, the One and Only.” That first
pilgrimage ignited a lifelong love for the Holy Land. In the years that
followed, she and her husband, Jack Miller, returned on additional
pilgrimages with their pastor, Dr. Aaron D. Burgner, and members of Lakes
Church, deepening their understanding of Scripture and inspiring the
stories and spiritual lessons shared throughout this book.
Rather than serving as a traditional travel guide, “Memorable
Moments in the Holy Land” offers readers an invitation to walk spiritually
through the land of the Bible. Standing where Jesus taught, watching the
sunrise over the Sea of Galilee, praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, and
reflecting at the Empty Garden Tomb transformed familiar biblical passages into
deeply personal encounters with God's presence. Miller hopes these reflections
will inspire readers to experience the same renewed appreciation for Scripture
and a deeper relationship with Christ.
Written for Christians, Bible study groups, pastors,
ministry leaders, and anyone interested in biblical history or faith-based
travel, the book is ideal for those preparing for a pilgrimage as well as
readers seeking to enrich their personal devotional life without leaving home.
Its devotional format makes it well suited for both individual reading and
small-group discussion.
"My prayer is that every reader will discover that the
Bible is more than history—it is God's living Word," says Miller.
"These sacred places reminded me that every page of Scripture points us to
Jesus, and I hope this book encourages others to grow in their faith as they
journey through the Holy Land from wherever they are."
About the Author
Beth Willis Miller is a Christian author whose passion for
Scripture has been enriched through years of Bible study and repeated
pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Her experiences walking the places recorded in
the Bible have inspired a deeper love for God's Word and a desire to help
others experience its timeless truth. Through “Memorable Moments in the Holy
Land,” she invites readers to encounter the wonder of Scripture with fresh
eyes and renewed faith.
Book Information
Title: “Memorable Moments in the Holy Land” Author: Beth Willis Miller
During
each Holy Land Pilgrimage our Lakes Church Lead Pastor Dr. Aaron D. Burgner shared
with us the biblical and historical significance of The Western Wall of theTemple in Jerusalem.Walking up to
the Western Wall, I am struck with the reality of the exact location where I am.
When Herod renovated the second temple at the end of the first century before
Christ, he shored up the temple plaza on all sides by massive walls, up to six
stories high. Although only half that height is visible above ground level
today, the Western Wall is still impressive, particularly the 165-foot portion
known also as the Wailing Wall. I approach the Western Wall, reach out my
hand and touch the unusually smooth surface of these formerly rough stones,
made so smooth by so many people touching them over the centuries. This
wall would have been just on the other side of the Holy-of-Holies in the
Tabernacle. I wrote my prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, give us a heart and mind
which worships You as the One and Only Holy God...”
I
signed my name and the names of my closest family members, folded the paper and
placed it in the small cracks between the smooth stones of the Western Wall,
along with thousands of other small pieces of paper placed there each day. Out
of all the world, the Jews had been God's chosen people. To the Jews alone had
God miraculously appeared in the cloud and in the sea. When the Glory of
the Lord filled the temple, God was literally present in the midst of His
people! “Destroy this temple,” Jesus said, “and I will raise it again in three
days.” But the temple of which Jesus had spoken was His own crucified
body. One day it was as dead as the stone covering His tomb, three days later
it was brought back to life again by the incomparable power of His
Resurrection! And here lies our hope. “Don't you know that you yourselves are
God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?” As I walk away from the
Western Wall, I have not taken even the first step away from God's Presence—the
Spirit of Christ Who dwells in the innermost part of me, taking Authority over
my soul—the seat of my emotions, and my body—my fleshly desires and appetites.
All Praise, Honor, and Glory to You, my Lord and my Savior Jesus Christ, the
One and Only Son of the Living God. How
lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty. I long, yes, I faint with
longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I
will shout joyfully to the living God.—Psalm 84:1-2 Because we can
worship God anyplace and anytime, we might fail to understand the psalmist’s
longing. In Old Testament times a person made a pilgrimage to worship God. It
was a yearly event and often involved a lengthy journey. That is why the
psalmist sang of a dwelling place where he could be in the presence of the
Lord. It’s why he expressed a desire to be even a lowly gatekeeper in God’s
house (v. 10) so that he could worship God every single day! We have available
to us what the psalmist could only hope for. When Christ hung on the cross, the
heavy veil separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple ripped
from top to bottom. This symbolic act shouted to the world that believers were
no longer required to stand at a distance. We can walk into God’s presence and
commune with him by name. Today many religions continue to require a pilgrimage
to worship their gods. Christ made a way for you by making a pilgrimage of his
own—the long, lonely walk to the cross—so that you could praise him wherever you
are. LORD
JESUS, I am thankful that I can worship you right where I am. I will enter your
courts with thanksgiving. I will kneel at the mercy seat and find forgiveness.
I will call out your name in praise. Lord, I pray for those who do not have
intimacy with the living God. You have already made the pilgrimage for them.
Open their eyes to see that they can find you right here, right now. Amen.
Look Up—meditate on Psalm 84:1-2 …pray to
see what it reveals about the character of God. Look
In—as you meditate on Psalm 84:1-2 …pray to see how you might apply it
to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries:
"Because God is_________, I will_____________." Look
Out—as you meditate on Psalm 84:1-2 …pray to see how you might apply
it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every
relationship, for your good, and for His glory.
* If you liked this post, you will LOVE this new book: "Memorable Moments in the Holy Land," available on Amazon at this link:https://a.co/d/06G79jQm
House of Caiaphas at the Church of
Saint Peter in Gallicantu & THE FLOOR OF THE FLAGELLATION ALONG THE VIA DOLOROSA in Jerusalem'S OLD CITY
During each Holy Land Pilgrimage our Lakes
Church Lead Pastor Dr. Aaron D. Burgner shared from Psalm 88 as he explained the
biblical and historical significance of the House of Caiaphas.
This church, known as the Church of
Saint Peter in Gallicantu (cock's crow in Latin), marks the place of the House
of Caiaphas. It's here that Jesus would be tried before Caiaphas, the High
Priest. It's here that Jesus would spend the night before His crucifixion in a
cold, dark dungeon. It's also here that Peter would deny Christ three times. We
experienced the prison cell where Jesus was likely beaten, and the dungeon
where Jesus spent the night before being crucified. It has rings in the walls
where prisoners would be tied up and beaten. This is likely where Jesus was
beaten before being thrown in the dungeon below it. We could see the path Jesus
would have walked, going to Gethsemane from the Upper Room and returning under
arrest from Gethsemane to here, including the steps beside the church that was
used for ascending and descending from Mount Zion to the Kidron
Valley. Jesus and His disciples most likely used them as they traveled
from the Upper Room, where they had celebrated the Passover meal, to the Garden
of Gethsemane. Later, Christ would use these same steps as He was brought
from Gethsemane, which led through the Kidron Valley, to the House of Caiaphas.
In the Courtyard of the church is a statue that recalls the events of Peter’s
denial of Jesus. It shows Peter, the rooster that crowed, a maid, a servant,
and a Roman soldier.
Some
people refer to a visit to the Holy Land as the fifth gospel. I guess it’s
because everything you read about in the Bible comes to life when you walk
where Jesus walked. Visiting the Holy Land engages not only one’s thoughts and
emotions, but also the senses. Seeing the cities and towns where narratives in
Scripture took place, hearing the bleating sheep on the hills outside
Jerusalem, sitting on the same hillside where Jesus preached, and smelling the
sea where he calmed the storm, makes those passages you’ve read countless times
come to life. After his arrest, Jesus was taken to the home of Caiaphas, the
high priest. Caiaphas was one of those behind the plot to have Jesus killed
(John 18:14, Matthew 26:3-4). Peter stood out in the courtyard and waited to
see what would happen. We went to that courtyard where a statue of a rooster
now stands. We then went to an underground prison beneath Caiaphas’ home where
Jesus was likely held the night of his arrest. It was a deep, dark pit. There
was one light dimly illuminating the room for us, but I could easily imagine
what it would have been like turned off. With our Lakes Church members crowded
inside, our Lead Pastor Aaron Burgner read Psalm 88 and prayed. Reading the
psalm in the place where Jesus spent his final night before going to the cross,
struck me in a way it hadn’t before. “You have put me in the depths of
the pit, in the regions dark and deep. Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you
overwhelm me with all your waves” (Psalm 88:6-7). Psalm
88 is the darkest of the psalms in the Psalter. Unlike other laments, it
doesn’t end with words of praise. Despite its darkness, the psalm has brought
me hope over the years when I’ve found myself in my own place of darkness. The
mere fact that the psalm is in included in the Bible, and in the songbook of
God’s people no less, tells me how compassionate our God is. He knows how
fallen our world is. He knows our pain and invites us to share it with him. Our
grief and sorrow isn’t neat and tidy. Sometimes we can’t even put our thoughts
and emotions into words. But no matter how dark our emotions, we need to cry
out to the God who hears us, for he alone is our salvation. As Pastor Matthew
Henry commented, “before he begins his complaint, he calls God the God of his
salvation, which intimates both that he looked for salvation, bad as things
were, and that he looked up to God for the salvation and depended upon him to
be the author of it.” Like all of Scripture, each psalm has a here and now
meaning for the author who wrote it. Psalm 88 was written by Heman, one of
Israel’s worship leaders. As a worship leader, he wrote songs to help God’s
people sing to God during all of life’s circumstances, both in the joys and in
the sorrows. In Psalm 88, we can see that the psalmist obviously endured a
significant trial in his life. He was in despair. He cried out to God day and
night. He felt the weight of God’s judgement and the abandonment of his
friends. God seemed far away—so far, darkness had become his only friend (v.
18).
When we left the House of Caiaphas, we walkd to the “floor of the flagellation” which refers to the “Lithostrotos”—an ancient stone-paved Roman courtyard uncovered beneath the Sanctuary of the Flagellation and the Convent of Ecce Homo along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem's Old City, where Pastor Aaron Burgner shared the details of what Christ suffered there.
These stones bear ancient markings that may include games played by Roman soldiers, lending credence to the Gospel accounts of the soldiers mocking Jesus before his crucifixion.
When we left the House of Caiaphas, we walkd to the “floor of the flagellation” which refers to the “Lithostrotos”—an ancient stone-paved Roman courtyard uncovered beneath the Sanctuary of the Flagellation and the Convent of Ecce Homo along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem's Old City, where Pastor Aaron Burgner shared the details of what Christ suffered there. Christian tradition associates these stone floors with the pavement where Jesus was tried and scourged. This location places visitors at the traditional Second Station of the Cross, where tradition holds that two pivotal events of the Passion occurred: Jesus’ flagellation by Roman soldiers and his formal condemnation to death by crucifixion. The monastery sits atop what archaeologists believe may be remnants of the ancient Antonia Fortress, the Roman military barracks that once housed Pontius Pilate’s tribunal. Access to the church requires walking through the narrow stone streets of the Old City. The Church of the Flagellation commemorates the biblical account of Jesus’ scourging as described in all four Gospels, though with varying degrees of detail. According to Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, and John 19:1, Pontius Pilate ordered Jesus to be flogged before his crucifixion, a standard Roman practice that typically preceded execution. The Greek term “phragellōo” used in the Gospels refers specifically to the brutal Roman scourging with a flagrum, a whip embedded with metal balls and bone fragments designed to tear flesh. Archaeological excavations conducted beneath the nearby Church of the Condemnation have uncovered an extensive area of Roman flagstones, identified by some researchers as the “Lithostrotos” or stone pavement mentioned in John 19:13. These stones bear ancient markings that may include games played by Roman soldiers, lending credence to the Gospel accounts of the soldiers mocking Jesus before his crucifixion. The discovery of first-century pottery sherds and coins in the area provides additional context for understanding the site’s occupation during the time of Christ.
But
also like all of Scripture, Jesus fulfills Psalm 88.As Luke 24:27 tells
us, when Jesus walked on the road to Emmaus with some of the disciples
following his resurrection,“And beginning with Moses and all the
Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning
himself.” In Psalm 88, we hear Jesus with his friends in the Garden
before his arrest echoing the psalmist, “For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol” (v. 3). Jesus stepped into the
darkness on our behalf. The night he spent in the pit was only the beginning of
all that he would endure for us. He felt the full weight of God’s wrath at the
cross in our stead. “Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me
with all your waves” (Psalm 88:7). He too was abandoned by his closest
friends (v.8). Christ took on the curse of death, the darkest of all pits.
After my visit to that underground pit beneath the home of Caiaphas, I now read
Psalm 88 with greater joy than ever before. I still rejoice that I can come to
the Father and voice my sorrows, no matter how dark. I still turn to him in
lament and ask for his help and rescue, trusting in him as my salvation. But I
also rejoice, knowing that my Savior endured greater darkness—God’s wrath for
sin—on my behalf. When it seems as though I’m stuck in a pit of despair, I
remember Jesus and the lengths he went to for my redemption. He went to dark places
I will never have to go. And for that I rejoice. God
offers a kind of rest that is different from what our own minds would conceive.God offers us rest in the midst of our distress. It is the only true rest—an
inner rest that comes from abandoning ourselves to the Lord and entrusting to
him whatever troubles or problems are overwhelming us. Instead of flying away,
run straight into the arms of God, and rest in his care and love for you today.
God’s promises in the Bible gives us assurance that we are not alone in this
fearful place. God has promised to be with you in every situation and to never
leave you, so you can put your trust in him. He is the source of our courage
and security. He can turn your fear into faith.
OH,
LORD, I do want my problems solved and my troubles removed, but from the
crushing weight of my burdens, I turn my eyes to you. I entrust this perplexity
to you. Enable me to find my rest in you, to discover a place of deeper
abandonment and security in your everlasting love. You are my only rock. You
are my only rest. Lord, you have said that when I’m afraid, at the very point
of my anxiety, I can put my trust in you and experience your protection. I
thank you for your Word that promises your presence with me. You are my
heavenly Father, so please hold my hand in dark and frightening circumstances,
and help me to trust you and walk close to you today. In Jesus’ name we pray,
amen.
Look
Up—meditate on Psalm 88 …pray to see what it reveals about the
character of God. Look
In—as you meditate on Psalm 88 …pray to see how you might apply it to
your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries:
"Because God is_________, I will_____________." Look
Out—as you meditate on Psalm 88 …pray to see how you might apply it to
your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every
relationship, for your good, and for His glory.
* If you liked this post, you will LOVE this new book: "Memorable Moments in the Holy Land," available on Amazon at this link:https://a.co/d/06G79jQm
Elijah on Mount Carmel & Megiddo/Valley of
Armageddon
During
each Holy Land Pilgrimage our Lakes Church Lead Pastor Dr. Aaron D. Burgner shared
with us the biblical and historical significance of Elijah on Mount Carmel
& Megiddo/Valley of Armageddon from First Kings 18:1-2, 17-46 and
Revelation 16:12-21; 22:1-7, 20.
Elijah
on Mount Carmel—First Kings 18:1-2 When
Elijah stood on this mountain to face down wicked King Ahab, Ahab was the king
in Northern Israel. The people worshipped false gods and followed false
prophets, so God sent the prophet Elijah to tell them to repent. At the time,
there was a drought in the land. Elijah used that as an opportunity to show
God’s power over all creation and His superiority over the false gods. The god
who could prove his power by sending fire would be acknowledged as the one true
God. The false prophets cried out to Baal, who remained silent. Then Elijah
made two moves that were counterintuitive given the drought. He poured gallons
of water on the ground—water they needed. Then he called for a fire—something
they’d want to avoid in a drought.
God
sent a scorching fire; it burned the offering, the stones, and the dust!
Afterward God brought the rain Elijah prayed for! Elijah knew God would answer
that prayer with a yes because God had promised rain before Elijah ever met
with King Ahab. Elijah’s faith was in the on true God, Maker of heaven and
earth, Commander of fire and rain.
At
the showdown at Mount Carmel, Elijah pitted the Baal gods against the Lord God,
and no matter what the 450 prophets of Baal did—dance wildly, cut themselves,
and shout for hours for Baal to answer—there was “no reply, no voice, no
answer” (v. 29). But when Elijah placed himself before the Lord and did what
God showed him to do by rebuilding the altar and praying, God heard and
answered in a mighty way. He revealed himself by sending fire from heaven that
consumed the sacrifice and everything surrounding it, even the water. And the
people returned to him. Our God is not a “God at a distance” as a popular song
and modern culture often depicts him. He is not like the impotent false gods
who had no reply, no voice, and no answer. The Lord is a God who not only hears
and speaks but who answers and acts on behalf of those who seek him. LORD,
you are the one true God and I praise you! Thank you for going to such great
lengths to demonstrate your power and to bring people back to you. Those great
lengths led your only Son to the cross because of your love for those who are
blind to your glory and power. Show yourself powerful in my life. In Jesus’
name we pray, amen.
Megiddo/Valley
of Armageddon—Revelation 16:12-21; 22:1-7, 20. This valley is widely known
as the Valley of Armageddon, described in the book of Revelation as the site of
a major battle and a turning point in the story of God’s redemption. For many
people, the book of Revelation sounds terrifying because they fear the end
times, the final days. But it’s a book that tells us about Jesus’ return to
earth, and it promises the redemption of all things. Cities that were once
destroyed will have trees that bear fruit all year long. Nothing will be
accursed. And Jesus will reign forever from His throne in the middle of the
city! While
the end is near, the end is good news for believers in Jesus. When we
forget this, we focus on the short-term, where fear is nothing but a
distraction stealing our hope and joy. Through all the pain and trials, we wait
for the Lord’s return. His nearness will be our healing and our joy. So we
believe His words, “Surely I am coming soon,” and we echo the cry of the
saints, “Come Lord Jesus.” Lord
Jesus, I can’t imagine what it will be like to see your light fully for the
first time and bask in the light of your glory. Your light has changed my life,
given me wisdom, and helped me find my way out of dark places. It has
illuminated your Word and comforted me and taught me. What will it be like one
day to walk in a city where the Lamb is the light! In Jesus’ name we pray,
amen. Look
Up—meditate on Revelation 22…pray to see what it reveals about the
character of God. Look
In—as you meditate on Revelation 22…pray to see how you might apply it
to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries:
"Because God is_________, I will_____________." Look
Out—as you meditate on Revelation 22…pray to see how you might apply
it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every
relationship, for your good, and for His glory.
* If you liked this post, you will LOVE this new book: "Memorable Moments in the Holy Land," available on Amazon at this link:https://a.co/d/06G79jQm
Each
year during his Holy Land Pilgrimage our Lakes Church Lead Pastor Dr. Aaron D.
Burgner shares with us the biblical and historical significance of the
miraculous healing at The Pool of Bethesda, which was “in Jerusalem near the
Sheep Gate” (John 5:2), which places it north of the temple, near Fort Antonia. John gives the additional detail that
the pool was “surrounded by five covered colonnades.” During Jesus’ time, the
Pool of Bethesda lay outside the city walls. It was at this pool that Jesus
performed a miracle showing that He is greater than any human malady and that
superstition and religious folklore are foolish and feeble substitutes for
faith in God. Have
you ever wanted something that always evaded you? The lame man by the Pool
of Bethesda knew what that feels like. He had been sitting by these “healing”
pools for 38 years—that’s 13,870 days—longing for something, and maybe even
watching others get what he longed for. But he was helpless. Prolonged trials
have a way of isolating you, and by this point, the man had no one who cared
for him enough to help him. He was alone. He may have even fallen into despair.
When
Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed, he didn’t even say yes. Instead,
he replied with reasons why healing seemed impossible for him. Jesus cared
about what this man wanted—his heart and his desires. And He leaned into the
man’s despair with hope and healing. Then, after the man was healed, do you
know where he went first? To the temple. He went to draw near to the presence of
God. He’d never been allowed to go to the temple before because of his
lameness, and he didn’t have a way to get there even if he was allowed. But
now, healed and hopeful, he walked—walked!—to the temple to worship God.
The Pool of Bethesda was used in ancient times to provide water for the temple.
The mention of the “Upper Pool” in 2 Kings 18:17 may be a reference to the Pool
of Bethesda. The name of the pool, “Bethesda,” is Aramaic. It means “House of
Mercy.” John tells us that “a great number of disabled people used to lie
[there]—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed” (John 5:3). The covered colonnades
would have provided shade for the disabled who gathered there, but there was
another reason for the popularity of the Pool of Bethesda. Legend had it that
an angel would come down into the pool and “stir up the water.” On
the day that Jesus visited the Pool of Bethesda, there was a man there who “had
been an invalid for thirty-eight years” (John 5:5). Jesus asked the man if
he wanted to be healed. The man 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” (verse 7). Obviously, the man believed the urban legend about
the stirring of the water. He blamed the fact that he was never healed on his
tardiness in getting into the water. Jesus swept aside all superstition and
bypassed altogether the need for magic water with one command: “Get up! Pick up
your mat and walk” (John 5:8). The man was instantly cured, and “he picked up
his mat and walked” (verse 9). The man did not need quicker reflexes or
beneficent angels or enchanted water. The man needed Jesus. Amazingly, not
everyone was happy about the man’s miraculous healing. The
day Jesus healed the man at the poolside happened to be a Sabbath. As the
man left Bethesda, the Jewish leaders saw him carrying his mat, and they
stopped him: “It is the Sabbath,” they said. “The law forbids you to carry your
mat” (John 5:10). The man told them that he was simply obeying orders: “The man
who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk’” (verse 11). The Jews
inquired who would so brazenly promote Law-breaking, but “the man who was
healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd”
(verse 13). The reaction of the Jewish leaders shows that, no matter how much
proof God provides, there will be some people who refuse to see the truth.
Jesus was a bona fide Miracle Worker, but the religious leaders couldn’t see
the miracle. All they could see was that someone had violated a rule. The issue
was not the breaking of God’s command, for Jesus fulfilled the Law and was
completely subject to it (Matthew 5:17). The only thing being broken was a
pharisaical interpretation of one of God’s laws. So, a
blessing meant to increase faith only increased the blindness of those who
refused to acknowledge the blessing. The postscript to the story reveals that
the man who was physically healed still needed some spiritual healing.
“Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, ‘See, you are well again.
Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you’” (John 5:14). Jesus’ words
are a rebuke of an unnamed sin—the man was living contrary to God’s will
somehow—and a warning of “something worse.” What could be worse than
thirty-eight years of paralysis? How about an eternity in hell (see Mark 9:47)?
Now
that the man knew who Jesus was, he returned to the Jewish leaders and told
them “it was Jesus who had made him well” (John 5:15). It is likely that
the man did this in praise of Jesus, to magnify the glory due His name, and
also from a sense of obligation—he had been asked a question and felt he should
respond with the answer, once he had it. Little did he anticipate the reaction the
leaders would have: “So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath,
the Jewish leaders began to persecute him” (verse 16). The Pool of Bethesda was
the focus of a local legend about healing, but Jesus showed that faith in
legends and superstition is misplaced. In contrast, faith in Jesus Christ—the
One who can heal with a simple word, the Savior who can forgive any sin, the true
Master of the “House of Mercy”—is never misplaced. Now
let your unfailing love comfort me, just as you promised me, your servant.
Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live, for your law is my delight.—Psalm
119:76-77 When
we pray, Lord, may your unfailing love comfort those who need it today.
Surround them with your tender mercies. And may they feel and experience and
believe the love you have toward them, it is a powerful prayer that God
delights to answer, for he is the God of all comfort. He is full of
loving-kindness and tender mercies. Do you know someone who is in the midst of
a trial, someone who is sick, heartbroken, alone, or in distress and needs to
be comforted by the Lord’s unfailing love today? What friends or family members
need to be surrounded with God’s tender mercies? As you pray for your friends
and loved ones, you can be confident that there is no pain or suffering too
deep for the love and mercy of God to reach.
LORD,
you are the God of all comfort. How grateful I am. I pray that your unfailing
love will comfort my loved ones and that your tender mercies will surround them.
These dear ones need your Spirit’s tenderness today. May they experience you in
the midst of their pain, and please touch them with healing today. Lord, it is
such a comfort to know that your eyes watch over me and my loved ones, that
your ears hear our cries for help. Thank you for hearing our cries, for
rescuing us when we are crushed in spirit. You are always close to the
brokenhearted, to those who are in dire straits. I praise you for the hope and
courage your promises give us when we are face-to-face with the most difficult
of circumstances. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen. Look
Up—meditate on Psalm 119:76-77…pray to see what it reveals about the
character of God. Look
In—as you meditate on Psalm 119:76-77…pray to see how you might apply
it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your
discoveries: "Because God is_________, I will_____________." Look
Out—as you meditate on Psalm 119:76-77…pray to see how you might apply
it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every
relationship, for your good, and for His glory.
* If you liked this post, you will LOVE this new book: "Memorable Moments in the Holy Land," available on Amazon at this link:https://a.co/d/06G79jQm
