Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man. (Mark 2:3)
I am fiercely independent. One of my favorite books is Walden by Henry David Thoreau. I would enjoy building a cabin and living alone in the woods for two years. (My wife would not feel the same way!) However, my go-it-alone attitude is frequently humbled by my own needs. For a couple decades now, I have gone through valleys of depression, usually a few times a year. During these times, my energy is low and my thoughts gravitate toward pessimism. I’ve come to realize that I need the help of others. I need their encouraging words, their hopeful perspective, their prayers—and sometimes I just need them to carry me, figuratively, for a few miles.
The paralyzed man in Mark 2 was in need. He couldn’t make it to Jesus on his own, so his friends lifted him up and carried him. But when they arrived, it was bedlam. The crowd totally disregarded fire code and overcrowded the house. The facilities were clearly not handicap accessible. And the people were so excited that they didn’t think to let the paralyzed man cut in line to see Jesus first. But that didn’t stop them. They knew they couldn’t carry this man forever; they had to get him to Jesus. So they made their own way, through the roof.
We too can carry our friends to Jesus in times of need.
Carry someone to Christ in prayer.
Jarod Osborne is lead pastor of Pathway [Wesleyan] Church, in Warsaw, Indiana. He is the author of Jaded Faith (WPH).
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
