Lame No More: Breaking the Cycle of Stuck

For 38 years, the man in John 5:1-15 laid there. Surrounded by others who were also broken, watching for the stirring of the waters—waiting for a moment that never came. He wasn’t lazy. He wasn’t heartless. He was just...stuck.

Stuck in a cycle of hope deferred.

Stuck in a system that promised change, but never delivered.

Stuck in a mindset that convinced him, “I have no one to help me.”

And then Jesus stepped over every system, every excuse, and every stuck place and asked one piercing question:

"Do you want to be made well?" (John 5:6 NKJV)

This wasn’t just about legs that didn’t work—it was about a life that had lost momentum. And some of us know what that feels like:

You’ve been in church, but nothing's shifting.

You’ve prayed, but the breakthrough seems far away.

You’re lying next to a miracle, but can't seem to move toward it.

The longer you stay stuck, the more you start adjusting to dysfunction. You decorate around it. Justify it. Protect it. You even start calling it "normal."

But Jesus didn’t walk into that moment to sympathize—He came to disrupt it.

Jesus didn’t wait for the water to stir. He didn’t ask for a medical history. He didn’t look for the man’s credentials or trauma resume. He simply asked a question that exposed the heart:

Do you even want it anymore?

Or have you gotten so used to surviving, that you’ve forgotten how to believe?

Jesus didn’t say, “I’ll carry you.”

He said, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” (John 5:8)

That’s not pity. That’s power!

As soon as the man walked, the religious leaders didn’t shout “Hallelujah!” They pointed fingers and said, “You’re not allowed to carry your mat on the Sabbath.”

They couldn’t see the miracle—because they were too bound by religion.

Listen closely: The moment you rise, there will be voices that try to remind you of the rules, of your history, or of who you used to be. But healing isn’t about their permission—it's about His grace and mercy!

It's not about proving yourself to people who never saw your pain. It's about walking in obedience to the One who saw you lying there and came anyway!

They'll question your credentials.

They'll try to reassign you to your former place. They'll point out how long you were stuck and use it to disqualify your healing.

But Jesus doesn't check resumes before He redeems! He doesn't wait for public approval before He moves!

He speaks life where others have spoken labels!

And here's the truth: Your healing will make people uncomfortable! It will challenge the structures they built around your limitations. It will upset the rhythm of religious routines that benefit from brokenness.

But grace will always outrun gatekeepers!

And when Jesus says, "Get up," you don't need a second opinion!

He’s not asking you to wait for the right time, the right people, or the next conference.

He’s looking you in the eye and saying: “Do you want to be made well?”

No more blaming.

No more waiting.

No more lying there.

Get up!

Carry the evidence of your old life like a trophy of grace!

And walk in what they said you never would!

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