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. Now a certain man was there. . . When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” - John 5:4-6 NKJV
Too often we go to prayer looking for answers, but spiritual director and blogger Kelly Chripczuk poses a question:
How long must you wait by the water's edge longing for the angel to dip her toe and stir the surface of the world? And what if, after days and months of waiting, watching, you sense a movement in the air and see the water shimmer with circle after concentric circle and yet are unable to enter in? To be near the miracle is not enough. Second place will earn you no reward. What then? Nothing can heal you now, save for the one question most difficult, "What do you want?" The answer to that question turns you away from waiting, away from the still, smooth surface of the water. The answer to that question bids you, "Pick up your mat and walk."
In reflecting on this verse and poem, Chripzuk adds:
Talking with Jesus, [the man] takes his eyes off the pool. His desire for healing remains, but his focus is changed.
When you pray, consider: what is your focus? And the most difficult question: what do you want?