Are you putting God in a box?

When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?" The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me." - John 5:6-7

We often put God in a box. The Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the church in Ephesus,

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." - Ephesians 3:20–21

God is infinite, and we are finite beings. So then, why do we put him in a box when we approach him? In our text today, we see the invalid man at Bethesda put Jesus in a box. When he was asked, "Do you want to be healed?" his answer reveals his limited view of healing. The man thought that the only way to be healed was to be the first one in the pool. Instead of being healed, he wanted to increase his chances of healing.

Brothers and sisters, how are you putting God in a box? Do you believe that your problem is bigger than God himself? Instead of focusing on your situation, I encourage you to focus on our Almighty God.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." - Psalm 46:1