by Have you ever been so sick or burdened that you could hardly pray for yourself? You just felt so weak, spiritually, to seek God for help? Perhaps you were undergoing a serious operation and would be under anesthesia, thereby rendering you unable to pray. Maybe someone reading has been in a coma or treated with medications that kept you unresponsive. Possibly, you or your family have been dealt a situation that seemed hopeless.
In your helplessness, you were dependent on others praying for you and taking care of your most simplest needs. Your own faith may have wavered in times of despair. Finding yourself in the middle of a situation and being overwhelmed, you may not be able to clearly see how God can bring a good ending.
A friend of mine posted a reminder recently about how important our faith in God and our prayers are for those in our individual circles. The thought has stayed with me and then the Lord began showing me several verses to illustrate our responsibility to uphold others in prayers.
Let’s take a look at the book of Mark, Chapter two. The man, sick of the palsy, may have succumbed to the fact that he would always be helpless. Even if there was a cure for his paralysis, how would he be able to obtain the treatment? He could do nothing for himself.
His four friends, on the other hand, were not about to allow their disabled comrade to sink into a dismal abyss of despair! They had faith that there would be a way and they were willing to keep trying. Their faith would not allow them to give up!
Hearing of Jesus coming to Capernaum, the four friends were encouraged and excited! If anyone could heal their disabled friend, it would be Jesus! Think about the preparations they might have done. They were going to Jesus! They probably took time to bathe their friend, put clean clothes on him, bandaged any sores, and combed his hair. Perhaps a new stretcher would be appropriate. He needed something clean and that smelled nice! And, let’s not forget that, these men, themselves, probably cleaned up in preparation to meet the Saviour and ask for His healing!
Oh! The disappointment the man must have felt in his heart when they arrived and the crowd was so thick! There would be no chance of him being carried to Jesus for the healing he had hoped for. But, his dedicated companions had FAITH!!!! There had to be a way! “Necessity is the mother of invention!” They had faith that God would heal their friend through Jesus Christ. There was no backing down! There would be a way!
What would you have done in a similar situation? If traffic is blocked, I have taken some winding side-streets. If I have accidentally locked myself out of my house, I would look for an unlocked window or maybe try a credit card to slide into the door. But, would you ever plow through the street shoulder or sidewalk to reach your destination or dismantle your door frame to get inside your house? Not likely!
I am not sure how the roof of Jesus’ meeting place was constructed. Was it slabs of rock? Was it a thatched roof of straw? Was it clay tiles? This scripture does not tell us what this roof was constructed of; only to say, that the men “uncovered” it and broke it up.
Think about it! This is not their house. Probably, they may not have even known the owner. They could certainly be arrested and even put to death. Faith will do a lot more and go a lot farther than we would rationally think or do. Most of us would have thrown up our hands and given up when we realized that gaining entrance into the building would be impossible. Surely, the man sick of the palsy had already given up and was resigned to the attempt being a failure. But–
“…Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
Now, many of us might waver in our faith at this point! We tried, but it just wasn’t possible. Or, we second-guess ourselves. Maybe this just wasn’t God’s will!
“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” James 1:6.
God rewarded their efforts.
“When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” Mark 2:5.
Let us interject here that Jesus was more concerned about the man’s spiritual sickness! Were his friends concerned about his spiritual well-being or just that their friend could walk and function again? The Bible does not share this.
Of course, there are always skeptics in a crowd and someone wanting to downgrade the positive and focus on the negative! Jesus was not new to this sort of thing! Further, in verses 8-11 in this chapter, Jesus addresses those skeptical scribes!
“And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your heart? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.”
Why was this man healed? He could do nothing for himself BUT, his friends had faith!
“When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” Mark 2:5.
Are you breaking the link of FAITH? Do you have friends depending on your faith to sustain them right now? Jesus healed this man-not because of his faith but because of the faith of his friends! We could especially apply this as we pray for lost loved ones to be saved!
My friend is going through a battle of cancer right now. At times, she is just so weak, tired, and exhausted to pray for herself. But, this sweet lady has a “cloud of witnesses” praying daily for her! This gives her encouragement and strength! It is that mesh of prayer support that keeps her going.
What happens to a mesh bag when a weak thread breaks? The hole gets bigger and bigger until the mesh is no longer able to contain what its original purpose was! Just like a link in a chain, every component is needed! Your daily prayers of faith are seen by God!
It may be YOUR prayers for a special friend or family member that God uses to help that person! It isn’t that the person needing help is so great or significant (we are all just sinners before God!) but that a praying friend is making intercession for them! Will YOU be that intercessory friend?
Concluding in a post-script, do you pray, faithfully, asking God to provide all that the Howells are in need of? There might be a very special, unspoken need one of them might have and it will be YOUR prayer of faith that God answers! Mrs. Kim and Elizabeth are preparing to travel. Bro. Lewis will have more burdens to care for while his wife is gone. Elizabeth will have many needs that she isn’t even aware of yet! Don’t just pray but step out in your faith and ask God what you can do to be a tangible blessing to them!
