And some people came, bringing to Him a man who was paralyzed, carried by four men. And when they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and after digging an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralyzed man was lying. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
Which of your friends have stuck with you in good times and bad? Those friends often make an even greater impact on us as they stay with us and help us through the hard moments of life. When we experience grief, trauma, anger, or doubt, we often feel alone. True friends remain close and show us that we are not as alone as we feel, no matter how difficult life gets. This paralyzed man could do nothing on his own to get through the crowds and to the feet of Jesus. But his friends saw him, strategized, and sacrificed to get him to the place where they knew he could find healing. Jesus saw the faith of the friends of the paralyzed man and healed him physically as well as spiritually.
We all have friends who are struggling and suffering. When they are in such broken places, it is hard to know what to do. But like these friends, we can have faith for their healing because we know the true Healer; we know the way to true life. In those times we can serve sacrificially, love extraordinarily, and show the hope of the gospel, knowing our friends will find more than just comradery or good advice at the feet of Jesus. There, they will find the forgiveness of sins and eternal hope.
- Which of your friends are struggling right now? What have you done to help them? If you haven’t done anything yet, what can you do?
- Who has shown you the hope of Jesus when you were struggling? How did that affect you?
- Pray and ask the Lord to equip you to love and serve the people around you.
