What do you do when illness or tragedy or troubles or anxiety or difficulties strike someone you know? It could be a friend, or family member or even a person you hear about! Let me tell you a story about a man with a debilitating illness and how his friends helped him in a time of his great need…
This story struck me deep in my heart when I first read about it years ago and to this day it is still on my mind… Our story takes place in Capernaum, a town right on the seashore of the sea of Galilee. A town that was the home base of Jesus during his three year ministry.
Jesus, by the time of this story, had reached rock star status in all of Israel and the surrounding areas for his healing and teaching. On one particular day, he was at the home of Peter and a great, huge crowd had gathered. Jesus was inside “speaking the word”.
While Jesus was preaching four men came to the house bringing their paralyzed friend on a pallet. They had heard that Jesus was able to heal people. Upon arriving at the house they couldn’t get close to the door, because of the great crowds that came to hear Jesus. What happened next was astonishing!
Those four men were not deterred by the crowds. Listen to what they did…
AND BEING UNABLE TO GET TO HIM (JESUS) BECAUSE OF THE CROWD, THEY REMOVED THE ROOF ABOVE HIM; AND WHEN THEY HAD DUG AN OPENING, THEY LET DOWN THE PALLET ON WHICH THE PARALYTIC WAS LYING. MARK 2:4
Can you just see it? Can you see these men scrambling up onto the roof of this ancient, seaside home? The roof was probably made of a cross section of rough timber beams covered with a thick coating of mud plaster. Grass would actually grow on the top of the roof. The roofs were sturdy enough that people would sleep on then and also worship there.
I wonder if Jesus and the multitudes inside could hear all the commotion above as the men dissembled the roof ? As the men dug the dried mud with their hands to make an opening large enough for a man and his pallet to be lowered through it did much of the debris fall on Jesus and the people inside? What was the reaction of the all the people? I love to think of bible stories and their real life details!
Because of the tenacious action of the four men, the paralytic had his audience with Jesus and was healed! And because of the healing, the once paralyzed man walked away praising God! What an amazing story!
But here is what touches me so deeply… these men carried their friend in need to the only One who could do something about his condition. They brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus.
Every time we pray for someone… a friend, a precious family member or just someone in need we hear about… we are carrying them to Jesus also! Can relate to the men who dug through that mud roof to get to Jesus.
It is a privilege to carry someone, by intercessory prayer, to the Throne of Grace!
Hebrews 4: 14-16 says…
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son Of God, let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
LET US THEREFORE, COME BOLDLY TO THE THRONE OF OUR GRACIOUS GOD THAT WE MAY FIND MERCY AND GRACE IN OUR TIME OF NEED.
What the men in our story did for their parlayed friend was very bold!
And James 5:16 says…
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayers of a righteous man can accomplish much.
Talking to God about others in need is biggest and best thing we can do for them! Pray and continue to pray. Visually see yourself on top of that roof, digging away the mud so you can lower your friend, or family member or someone in need carefully down to lovingly place them at the feet of Jesus! And keep doing it!
Don’t give up!!! What if the friends of the paralyzed man stopped taking him to Jesus because they could not get near the door? The man would have never been healed! They would let nothing stop them… not the crowds, not the roof, nothing!
Don’t underestimate the power of prayer… your prayer and the faith you have in the ONE you are praying to can literally move mountains! Believe in Jesus… the Healer… the Son of God… and His miracle ability! Look for His nail-pierced hands in the situation you are praying about. Expect miracles!!! It may not be the miracle you want, but He is faithful to answer prayer in His perfect way! Trust that… trust Him!
Who are you bringing to Jesus on a pallet today?
This weeks memorization verse:
LET US THEREFORE, COME BOLDLY TO THE THRONE OF OUR GRACIOUS GOD THAT WE MAY FIND MERCY AND GRACE IN OUR TIME OF NEED.
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Oh this is a wonderful devotional! So many friends to carry to the Throne of Grace! Thank you for this!
I am saving this devotion… What an awesome reminder of who our God is… How Jesus himself intercedes on our behalf… this article – Devotion.. soooo lifted me up … We have a very dear friend .. only 56 years old who is fighting cancer … she has a small circle of true friends who pray for her and with her daily … who help… who listen and believe The Word with her !!! Thank you so much for posting this …….
May I use this devotion for a group of friends. It really touched me and I would love to share it. It is a blessing to be able to pray for others. Thanks
Of course!
I’m reading this Tuesday morning. I wanted to savor this post. What a timely post. I too have pondered this Bible story especially in the last years. Today I saw a post about a cousin I haven’t heard about in years and she’s sick. This makes me more determined to get my other cousins together to pray for her. I’m going to use your verses from Hebrews and James to encourage all of us as we pray for her.
I have sweet friends who tell me they pray for me daily now. I’m so surprised. It feels like a huge gift. I often awaken at night to pray for someone and then go back to sleep. God does want us to pray. Even Jesus wanted prayer for Himself as He was preparing for death. It’s more than my mind can comprehend so I’ll just do as His Word says.
I’ve prayed that you also are healed. I’d like for you to be able to attend Haven!!
Blessings!!
Absolutely love it.
Thank you for this wonderful post.
I enjoyed reading it quietly, without interruption, pausing and reflecting on your words and the scriptures.
It spoke to me on many levels and guided me thoughtfully to continue carrying my best friend to the throne of Grace.
Yvonne, you have no idea how on point this post was for me yesterday. I had just talked to a friend in the hospital who has what could become a fatal condition. I have been praying for her but yesterday after placing the phone in the cradle I felt very hopeless and was crying our of desperation when I decided to check my emails. There was you post waiting for me. Thank you!
In these times of anti everything…thank you for being bold enough to profess your faith! What uplifting message you give to your followers. God bless you!
Hugs,
Carol
Yvonne. Just returned from visiting my 11yr old grandaughter who has been in the hospital since last Tues with serious injuries from an automobile accident. Today she is finally showing signs of improvement but has kidney.liver and spleen damage. The power of prayer is at work. She was with her Mother and 5 of her 7_siblings and she was the only one with serious injuries.after being hit head on by another car in which there were two fatalities. Wet roads and speeding .No way to avoid the other car which spun out of control and crossed 3 lanes before hitting my daughter’s van. Please keep all involved in your prayers. Two families have had their world’s torn apart. God bless you for your faith and wisdom. Could not have come at a better time.
Kathy I read the first two lines of your comment and went right to prayer. God bless all!
The Power of Prayer we have in our Lord Jesus Christ! Thank you for sharing this story of faithful friends and of healing. GOD bless!
Oh Yvonne how timely!! I do believe in prayer and know that everything belongs to God including us! I wake each morning turning my life and my husband over to God. My husband is having some health issues now & I know that God will continue to hear my prayers as I lift him up each day. And I do keep others in prayer that need his grace and mercy! Thank you for a beautiful story.
Hi Yvonne
Thank you for this inspiring post. We have so many friends and family members to take to the Throne of God’s Grace. He is able
Blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ on you
June
Prayer is a wonderful thing. When we feel lost, helpless, alone or afraid, we need to pray. I always make it a point that if I tell someone I am going to pray for them, that I do it. Immediately.
Thank you for your Sunday lessons! I love them!
Thank you Yvonne for your beautiful ministry on Sunday’s. Hugs, Peggy
Good morning, Yvonne. Your post is so timely and appropriate for a need in our small community. A friend’s daughter (her only child) who is a wife, mother and friend was diagnosed with pneumonia and hospitalized on June 30th. She is a brittle diabetic but always taken wonderful care of herself. She was immediately placed in ICU, soon put on a ventilator and a medially induced coma. Shannon became septic, was diagnosed with ketoacidosis and her blood work was off the charts. She has held on. The community has rallied around her and her family and she has been lifted up in prayer. Yesterday, she was air-lifted to St. Luke’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. She is showing a small amount of improvement this morning. It is my prayer that you and the ladies that read this blog across the nation will lift Shannon up in prayer. This young woman needs a miracle. We are prayerful the Lord will heal her. She has been on Facebook and social media across Southeast Texas. We know that God is moving in only way that He can. I believe that if it is His will that she be healed her illness and healing will speak to many Christians as well as non-believers because of the widespread coming together of God’s people in prayer. Please remember Shannon Pruett of Bridge City, Texas in your prayers.
Ramona, I am sending up prayers for your friend and her family. May God show his mercy and bring the lady back to good health. Jesus is in control of everything.
We come in agreement with the Lord Jesus Christ to visit with Shannon for her miracle. Indeed nothing is impossible with God.
June
Amen! Coming beside you Ramona in prayer!
Yvonne, your post is a beautiful reminder that the most powerful and important thing that we can do for anyone is to carry them to the throne of grace by lifting them up in prayer. I do this on a daily basis. I sincerely believe that prayer works miracles. There have been times in my life that I have been carried by others to the throne of grace. I feel so very blessed to have friends and loved ones who pray for me and with me. I am so glad you shared this lovely post with us! Also, I wanted to thank you for hosting The Scoop!
We–a small group of women, friends since childhood-this weekend have been praying for one of our friend’s husbands. His sudden condition baffles all specialists. So I’ve been sending us verses to pray and this too. It seemed so right. I visualize us women carrying him for our friend for healing. As he lies in the hospital–such a handsome strong, fit battalion chief for LA city fire Dept–officially retiring tomorrow–talk about our life is in Gods hands. It’s been me. My spouse who has been so I’ll lately. We are bowing in prayer believing.
Thank you again for this devotional on this day. God heard a need and you listened.
Beautiful Sunday post as always! I always feel closer to Heaven when I read your Sunday message Thank you.
What a blessing to read your words this morning. I continue to pray for my daughter to come back to the teachings of her childhood and let God be in control of her life. I know Gods timing is not ours. So I continue to pray. Thanks for the reminder never to give up.
I’m so glad you posted this exact message today! It reminded me to pray for a girl who needs my help, my 9 year old granddaughter Madi. She is having problems with her school work and socializing. She told me the other day how much it hurt to be picked last when they are choosing teams. This brakes my heart so much! Please pray for her Yvonne and anyone else that reads this post. Also, pray for me in how I should guide her and help her overcome these problems. Thanks for posting this and thanks for all your posts especially the Sunday ones!
thank you! It’s just what I need to hear today and be reminded of. I love your Sunday posts!
Yvonne, Thank you so much for the gentle reminder to persevere in prayer. Sometimes when God’s answer is a temporary silence because it is not His designated time to answer yet, one grows impatient and discouraged. Your post has reminded me to persevere in prayer for my son who has been out of work for a very long time and to be reassured that God will answer in His time, and that His response will be far better than I had ever expected! Happy Sunday and thank you again for sharing your faithfulness with us all!
For over 8 years I prayed for my rebellious daughter to be saved. I would walk down to her bedroom in the middle of the night and reach out and touch her door frame and pray for to give her life to Him. I had had my heart broken in ways I didn’t know it could be broken. About a month ago I ask God how else should I pray then about two weeks later she called me and told me she had given her life to Christ and would be baptized the following Sunday. All I could do was weep from years of heartache only now in joy all I can say is that I would not have cared if digging mud would have cause a mess if it would have meant a new life for my daughter. While at a ladies conference with our church. I had been ask to give my testimony and I told the ladies. That when you give your life to Christ you instantly wonder why you waited so long Oh my I guess she listened. Even now I can hardly type this. My heart is so overwhelmed He doesn’t care about messes he just wants our hearts. Thank you for your post
Carol, I am so happy for you and Praising God for His work in your daughter’s life! God bless the both of you!
Thank you so much for your Godly blog.
PS to mothers out there praying for your sons or daughters. Never never never give up NEVER
You are so right!
Thank you. Wonderful visual. My daughter is a breast cancer survivor. Praise God!! Now she is suffering with non alcoholic liver disease. (NASH). Constant pain. Please add her to your prayer list. Her name is Angels.
Thank you for this beautiful message of hope!! God has blessed you with the gift of encouragement in so many ways through your blog and through your Sunday Posts. What a privilege it is to carry someone to the Lord in prayer – and to be the blessed recipient of the wonderful faithful prayers of others! Blessings to you and yours on this beautiful Sunday!!
My mother said she prayed for 40 years for her brother to come to know Christ. Although it took many years of her faithful prayers, he and his entire family came to salvation! Sometimes God’s timing isn’t our timing! He has more to give if we are patient. Thank you for sharing, beautifully shared.
The evidence of miracles because of praying people is around us everywhere. God honors and answers the prayers of the righteous. As Yvonne says, don’t stop praying. We never know when that next prayer is the one that will cause the Lord to send that miracle!
Thank you for this encouragement and blessing today!❤️??
Great, great post, the power of prayer Matthew 21 verse 19-22 if you believe anything is possible through prayer if it’s Gods will, as a matter of fact I have witnessed a miracle this past week. A young man I knew died but the prayers that were taking place at the hospital and all over this nation through a prayer chain, he was revived after an hour no brain damage, taken off the ventilator yesterday, I know this was a miracle and through prayer it was made possible. Keep up the good works your doing for God. Be Blessed in all that you do for others because you are a true Blessing Yvonne.
A beautiful story, Yvonne. We don’t always realize just how fortunate we are to have the privilege of being able to pray to our higher power.
I enjoy your Sunday Posts so much and look forward to them each Sunday. This verse today, Hebrews 4: 14-16, was included in an excellent sermon I heard this morning on television. You should teach Sunday School if you don’t already. I forward many of them to a friend. Thanks. Yvonne.
Oh so beautiful. I will always try now to picture this in my mind as I pray. God is so good !
Thank you for the reminder. So true
THANK YOU!
Thank you for these words, Yvonne. My son is very much in need of Jesus’ healing touch today.
I am lifting him up with you Karen!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful message, Yvonne. What a great way to visualize praying for someone!
Thank you, Yvonne. That was awesome. I will share that with my family.
Prayer is such a privilege…..thank you for the great reminder and blessings that are ours as we carry our loved ones and friends to Jesus.
I love this bible story. I am part of a group called Moms in Prayer International, founded by Fern Nichols. Each week we pray for each other’s children, who in our groups case, are mostly in college or grad schools. Many of our kids have gone to college, and left the faith they were raised with. In Ferns book, Every Child Needs A Praying Mom, she tells this bible story of these men dragging their beloved friend to Jesus. Then she states that we, as praying moms often times cannot pray our child back to Jesus. But if two or three other moms come along side of us and pick up a corner of the mat, we can drag that two hundred pound boy in prayer to the throne of grace. (Of course I am summerizing her words).
Thank you for your Sunday posts, Yvonne. They are awesome.
Hi Jule,
I was in a mom’s prayer group for years. We saw so many miracles!
I loved the story. How sweet of you to share. I cannot see how any body can live without prayer and the love of Jesus Christ. I have lost family, friends and seen so much from working in a hospital and a Juvenile Court. I tell people stop and think when you do things by yourself, how do they turn out? When you ask God to love you, guide you they always work out. I know from a recent friend of mine being very ill and not knowing from one moment to the other if he would live or not and the prayer that went up for him, he is home and doing great and is sharing what God and prayer meant in his life. I loved what my mother told us children one day. “She said that you might wander from God, but if you had a mother and grandmother on their knees praying for you, God would always bring you back to him.” How true and great. How great and precious our Holy Father is to all of us, even those that don’t believe. Thanks again for sharing and may God Bless you.
Betty Whatley
Beautifully said truth, Betty!