April 14, 2024

Wow. Don’t you love the resilience of the friends who brought their paralyzed buddy to Jesus? We don’t know how far they had to carry him. It could’ve been across town. It could’ve been from miles away. What I do know is that carrying someone on a pallet is hard work. They wouldn’t have had to carry him far before he got really heavy. Then, when they finally got him to where Jesus was, they were blocked by this huge crowd. EVERYONE wanted to get close to Jesus. It would have been easy to simply tell their friend that they were sorry, but it just wasn’t going to happen this time, and turned around and went home.
But they didn’t. Having come this far, they weren’t going to stop. So, they got creative. I’m not sure who came up with the idea of going in through the roof, but it was genius. They hoisted their friend up upon the roof, dug a hole through the thatch, and lowered him down right in front of Jesus. And the rest is history.
Here was my thought today. I wonder how many people left? I wonder how many people came expectantly, but when they couldn’t get to Jesus easily or quickly, they turned around and went home. I wonder how many didn’t find healing. I wonder how many had friends or relatives they brought that needed a touch from Jesus, but weren’t willing to stick around. I wonder how many missed the Word that they needed because they left before Jesus spoke it. I wonder how many were too impatient, became too frustrated, or just weren’t willing to wait and missed out on the miracle Jesus had for them.
Don’t quit on Jesus. Don’t stop reaching, don’t stop praying, and don’t stop waiting. Maybe Jesus is testing your faith. Maybe Jesus is pushing you to think outside the box. Maybe Jesus wants to see if you truly believe that He is worth the wait. In our culture of “quick and easy,” we forget that God asks for patience, faith, and commitment from us. You’ve come this far already. Don’t leave without seeing Jesus. That’s God’s Word for you today.