Join Rev. Rob McPherson in prayer with Robert Bateman’s The Pool of Bethesda, a vivid meditation on waiting, hope, and healing. Where are you in this scene of longing and promise? What message might Jesus be speaking directly to your heart today?

John 5:1-9

Use this guide for prayer and contemplation. Read slowly, pausing as needed for silence and reflection.

Opening

Find a comfortable posture. Let your shoulders soften.

Take a slow breath in. And a slow breath out.

Let us become present to God, who is already present to us. Stay here a moment.

Reflection on Contemplative Prayer

As you gaze on the image, let it be more than an illustration. Let it become a doorway into prayer—into what it represents: waiting, suffering, hope, and the longing for divine intervention. In this scene, we meet the tension of the human condition: the ache for healing, the frustration of delay, and the fear of being too late—again.

Look slowly. Notice what draws your attention. Let what intrigues you become a place where God can meet you.

Scripture

John 5:2–9 (The Inclusive Bible)

In Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, there is a pool with five porticos; its Hebrew name is Bethesda. The place was crowded with sick people—those who were blind, lame or paralyzed—lying there, waiting for the water to move. An angel of God would come down to the pool from time to time to stir up the water; the first one to step into the water after it had been stirred up would be completely healed.

One person there had been sick for 38 years. Jesus, who knew this person had been sick for a long time, said, “Do you want to be healed?”

“Rabbi,” the sick one answered, “I don’t have anyone to put me into the pool once the water has been stirred up. By the time I get there, someone else has gone in ahead of me.”

Jesus replied, “Stand up, pick up your mat and walk.” The individual was immediately healed, picked up the mat, and walked away.

Holy Spirit, come close as we hold this word and this image together. Meet us in the places where we have been waiting a long time, and speak your hope into what feels stuck.

Artwork for Prayerful Reflection

The Pool of Bethesda — Robert Bateman

Notice the perfectly still water, and the angel descending the stairway for a sacred task. Notice those gathered at the edge, waiting for a ripple that might change everything. Notice the lilies in the water—signs of life and death, renewal and purity. Notice the chain in the lower right, a quiet hint of burdens we carry. And notice, too, that Jesus has not arrived yet.

Let one detail become your focus—an image that could hold God’s response to your waiting and your hope.

Reflection Questions

As you look at the scene, what part of the human condition feels most present to you right now?

Where in your life are you awaiting the stirring of healing waters—longing for change, relief, or renewal?

What has disappointment looked like for you in that place of waiting?

What do you notice in your body as you sit with this story of waiting—tension, heaviness, restlessness, numbness, hope?

Which detail in the painting feels like it could carry God’s response to you today?

As you hold that detail in your attention, what words from the Scripture begin to sound like they are meant for you?

If Jesus were present in the scene, pointing to that detail, what hope would you long to hear on Jesus’ lips?

What do you need to say to Jesus about your situation—your waiting, your fatigue, your desire to be made whole?

After you have spoken, what becomes clear when you rest in silence and listen within your innermost thoughts?

As you prepare to return to your day, what word or phrase do you want to carry with you as God’s message of hope?

Closing

God of mercy, be present with us in the long wait. Loosen the chains we carry, stir hope where the waters feel still, and speak what we need to hear. Help us remember your words, and trust that you are at work in unseen ways. Amen.