Some stories in the Bible just seem to capture our hearts. This story of four men carrying a paralyzed man to Jesus seems to make us marvel. Whether they were friends or just men who took pity on this man, we don’t know. But the story itself reminds us of a couple important principles. As I examined this story today, I thought that we need to put ourselves in both shoes… the ones with pity and the one who is at their disposal.
First, it’s always good to be in a position where we need help, totally dependent upon God and others to help us. Think about Noah and his family. God shut them in the ark… a big boat with no steering, no way out, and no way to navigate where they were going. They were completely at the mercy of God. It’s in our helpless place where God comes to our rescue. This is where we understand how much we need Jesus. Where Jesus is the ONLY One who can help us. We also need friends like these four men. Friends who will help us when they see our vulnerable state.
Second, we need to be like these four men. We need to recognize those who are helpless, sick, stuck in their past, thirsty for more, or simply ignorant of their need. We need to not give up on them… stay in touch with them, call them daily if we need to, speak truth over them, pray for them, and love them. We need to be a light in their darkened place. But the first and foremost place we need to lead them is to Jesus, knowing that He has what they need. And… where there are roadblocks, we need to find a way around them. Satan doesn’t want them set free so he will always put obstacles before us. These men found a way to get this man to Jesus. We need to find a way too.
Read this story again (Mark 2:1-12), asking God how you might apply these principles to your life today.