What Do You Want? Monthly Summons Fast: Day 1
- Pastor Ayeisha Isidore
- Jun 30
- 4 min read
John 5 (KJV)
6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
Great day my brothers and sisters in Christ! It is officially day 1 at this gate of contention! Based on yesterday, we all know what that means. We are at a critical turning point on the chronos, but even more so, the Kairos of God. Kairos means "the perfect moment, the "window of opportunity," or a decisive season.". In Christianity, Kairos often refers to God's appointed time—a divinely significant moment when something important is meant to happen. For example, in the New Testament, Jesus begins His ministry by saying, "The time (kairos) is fulfilled," meaning the appointed moment has arrived.
Nobody gets to the airport at the exact time the flight is scheduled to take off—I hope not! If you arrive at the airport when your plane is taking off, you are already too late.
Spiritual people often do the same thing when God is moving. When they see it taking off, that is when they try to hop on the plane, but it is already too late. We are supposed to be a people who prepare so we do not have to repair. We should be proactive instead of reactive.
The interesting thing about this passage is that, even though the man was waiting for healing, he was not ready for Him when He arrived. Notice I did not say he was not ready for “it,” because sometimes “it” is not the first step. An encounter with Him will get you the “it” you are looking for—and more!
Do you seek God proactively or reactively? Do you prepare for His presence daily, or do you only go to Him for repair occasionally? All of these questions are important as we move forward.
Today’s devotional centers around a single question: “Wilt thou be made whole?”
Let me translate it: “Is it your desire to be made whole?”
If I were the man Jesus was talking to, my attitude would have come out! I would have asked, “Lord, what kind of question is that? Don’t you see me waiting for my healing?” The thing is, Jesus did not ask him if he wanted healing. He asked him if he wanted wholeness.
The story of the ten lepers shows us the difference. Nine of them were healed, which means they were cured—relieved of symptoms. In other words, they no longer felt the effects of the condition. The crazy thing is, a condition does not need to be removed in order to be managed. You do not need to remove the source of a thing to get rid of the effects of that thing. You can be cured through medication instead of true deliverance. Merely removing the symptoms is simple, but sometimes it is also temporary. That is where many of us go wrong: we settle for temporary relief instead of constant wholeness.
The other option, wholeness, is born from a continuous encounter. When a single leper came back, he was made whole. The Greek word is sozo, which means to save, rescue, deliver, and preserve. Its Hebrew counterpart, yasha, means to bring into safety and bring into victory. Yasha sounds a lot like Yeshua, which is a Hebrew transliteration for Jesus. Healing can be found in many places, but wholeness can only be found through Him. One popular statement in the Gospels is, “Your faith hath made you whole.”
Jesus did not just heal this man or make him whole automatically. Wholeness is not something that simply falls in your lap; it is something you have to desire. Your faith is the currency for it. It is Jesus’ pattern to ask, “Do you want this?” You cannot desire something unless you have faith that it is possible.
Do you really want wholeness? Do you really want to be rescued, or do you merely want to be cured—numb from the symptoms without getting rid of the cause? Do you really want to be preserved, kept from future danger, or do you want to pick your pain back up when it is comforting and convenient? What do you want?
The reality is, maybe we have not received the results we wanted because we have not desired the right thing in the first place.
Below are reflection questions that you should not only meditate on, but come prepared to discuss on the call tonight.
If Jesus asked you today, "Wilt thou be made whole?" what part of you would hesitate to answer "yes"—and why? What have you become comfortable carrying that wholeness would require you to release?
Have you been pursuing an encounter with God, or have you merely been pursuing what you hope His presence will produce? If God delayed the blessing but offered you Himself, would He still be enough?
In what areas of your life have you learned to manage your pain instead of surrendering the root of it to God? What would true wholeness cost you that temporary relief does not?
How have disappointment, offense, fear, or past wounds shaped your expectations of God? Have you been waiting for healing while remaining spiritually unprepared for the Healer?
What desire has occupied your heart more than the desire to be made whole? During this fast, what must die within you so that God's restoring work can fully live through you?
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