“A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ‘Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’

“Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, ‘Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ So he said to the man, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!’”

Mark 2:1-12 NIV

What strikes me the most about this story is that not only did the men who were carrying their paralyzed friend have faith, but their faith was put on display by their works. Their faith led them to get into Jesus’ presence, because they knew if they could just get to Jesus their friend would be healed. 

Today, I want to encourage you to put your faith on display and call on the name of Jesus when things go wrong or not how you’ve imagined it. I’m thankful that we don’t have to tear off roofs or squeeze through a crowd of people to get to Him. Instead, wherever we are, we can just call on the name of Jesus for comfort, encouragement, wisdom, healing and answers on how to move forward. Remember, God is always right there with us. 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

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