A Little Help from My Friends

  As I looked around the church on Sunday, I noticed how many people in the congregation were using canes, walkers and crutches.  Those are great testimonies to the treatments of modern medicine, but not such great testimonies to the healing power of Jesus.
  When Jesus saw the faith of the man's friends, he healed the paralytic.  We looked at this story of healing on Monday (Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26).  We don't know if the paralyzed man had faith.  Maybe he did; maybe he didn't.  But we know that his friends did.  They carried him to Jesus, tore a hole in the roof, and, using ropes, lowered him in front of Jesus.  That took planning, preparation and persistence.
  This may be the case when we pray with someone.  They may not have much faith, but their friend does or we do. The person in need of prayer may be hope-filled but not faith-filled.  They may be doubtful or skeptical.  They may be incapable of getting to Jesus on their own.  We may be the only one praying who has faith.  We may need to plan, prepare and persist so that the experience of healing can bring them to faith. 
  What would have happened to the man who was paralyzed if he hadn't gotten a little help from his friends? He could not have gotten to Jesus on his own.  His friends helped him get his life back.

  For reflection:  Is there anyone among my friends with a knee, hip or ankle injury?  Anyone facing joint surgery with weeks of rehabilitation afterward?  Am I the friend who will take them to Jesus?  Can I help them get their life back?
  Let us pray.  Jesus, you instantly healed the man who was paralyzed because his friends brought him to you.  I bring to you today _____.  I don't want him/her to suffer any longer.  I don't care what the doctors say about the length of their recovery.  I care about their health and their relationship to you.

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