Subtitle: Believe that God will do exactly the right thing in whatever situation you are in. Don't limit Him to your schedule or expectations.
Excerpt: The story of the paralyzed man in Mark 2:4 highlights the power of faith. While the man’s friends expected Jesus to heal his legs, Jesus first forgave his sins, demonstrating His authority over souls. This story encourages believers to trust in God’s plan, even when it diverges from their expectations.
Scripture
Our verse for today comes from Mark 2:4, “And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.”
Background
If you’ve heard this story before, you have probably imagined or heard it described how the four friends of the paralyzed man made some kind of opening in the roof of the house so that they could lower their friend down into the room where Jesus was preaching. It’s possible that they had to dig through some hardened clay and remove several clay tiles in order to make room for the man on his mat. There may have been a door in the roof already for the residents to place a ladder up to in order for them to access the roof as was common in that day. There may have even been some sort of stairs available for them to use. The exact details are not explicitly described, nor do they need to be. The text simply says that Jesus saw their faith. But the strange part of the story is in what happens next.
Application
It says that Jesus forgave the paralyzed man’s sins. He can’t walk, and he gets a new heart. He and his friends must have looked at each other, and then at Jesus and thought, “That’s nice, but what about the legs?” They had believed enough to go through all that they had so far, but now it was looking like they were going to have to carry their friend all the way home, too. They knew that Jesus could fix a broken body, but they hadn’t spent much time thinking about their broken spirits and dead hearts. Their faith led them to do certain things and have certain expectations, but Jesus’ plan didn’t quite follow their plan. Oh, He did eventually heal his legs, but not just because they wanted Him to. He showed the critics and the self-righteous and the judgmental onlookers that He was not blaspheming by forgiving his sins. He showed them He was God, with authority over souls and hearts, not just legs and feet. To the paralytic, the healings may have happened out of order. Once his legs were working, he probably figured to start showing up at the temple soon. But when we truly believe, we get to see God’s plan at work. Are you willing to give up your expectations for that?
Charge
As we seek Him today, believe that God will do exactly the right thing in whatever situation you are in. Don’t limit Him to your schedule or expectations.
Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words
Distributed by – BCWorldview.org
