2 For You [God the Father] granted Him [Jesus Christ] authority over all people, so that He may give eternal life to all those You have given Him.

— John 17:2

19 [You may know] what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power

— Ephesians 1:19

27 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

— Mark 10:27

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

— Romans 8:37-39

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace and faith of our Lord Jesus be granted to you bountifully.

Among a crowd of needy people, Jesus set His gaze and compassion upon a lame man stuck in a hopeless situation for 38 years. In His power and authority, Jesus healed him and commanded him to stand up, pick up his mat and walk, no longer a victim but a victor. This man received new life on the day of rest, Sabbath. Sometimes we find ourselves caught in challenges where solutions seem impossible. While Jesus does not promise a remedy for our every woe, we can know that, like this man, Jesus sees us right where we are “lying.” There is no situation too hopeless for Jesus to transform. Difficult circumstances reveal our helplessness and invite us to seek the Lord.

We can be assured that even when our challenges remain, God provides the strength we need to trust Him and His purposes. A lot of times the challenging situations we face are measured by God for turning our hearts to look to Jesus, instead of human solutions. The Lord desires us to find comfort knowing that Jesus sees us, understands our struggle, wants to help us, and especially shows us His steadfast love, and purposeful good will. Let’s bring all our situations to Jesus Christ and rest in Him, the One with power and authority. He cares about all His children.