Faithful Friends

My devotion this morning was in Luke 5:1726. Most of you know that this is the passage that deals with the paralytic man whose friends brought him to a meeting where Christ was teaching and let him down through the roof so that they could ask Christ to heal him. This is a tremendous passage for a number of reasons but it was such great encouragement to me today. We do not know the details about the men who brought this man to this meeting where Jesus was teaching. However, we do know two distinct things. First, they were tenacious. I would like to think that they were this man’s friends who cared a great deal for him. We could take a minute and bask in the wonder of friendship. But we are not told that they we his “friends.” They could have been servants ordered to take this man to the meeting. They could have been hired day workers paid to carry him to the meeting. I think they were more than this, but we will get to that in a moment. As I said, they were tenacious. They came to the front door and discovered that the meeting was standing room only, they couldn’t get in. So, what did they do? The carried him up the outside stairway to the roof top. They then, cut holes or removed portions of the roof and with great care and back breaking effort lowered this man down into the center of the room near Jesus. They were tenacious. The second thing we know about these men, which is why I think they were more than servants or hirelings, is that they had faith that Jesus would heal this man if they could just get him to Jesus. “And when he (Jesus) saw their faith, he said, ‘Man, your sins are forgiven you.’” (Luke 5:20 ESV) When Jesus saw their faith. These men trusted God for something extraordinary. They believed God would heal the man they painstakingly carried to the house Jesus was at, up a flight of stairs, removed portions of a roof and then lowered him down to the floor. The root word used in verse 20 is the Greek word pistis. It means to have a conviction about something. It carries the idea of a strong conviction, of belief, or trust in something or someone. They had a strong belief that Jesus could heal this man if they could just get him together with Jesus. What do you trust God for? What extraordinary thing do you have a strong conviction or a strong belief or trust which is based upon the Scriptures? I have an extraordinary conviction and I am believing that God will supply the needs of my family. I am trusting God for provision and supply. If that is through the gift of a job, so be it, if it is through the gifts of Gods’ people, so be it, if it is through the efforts of planting a new work in this community so be it.

I hope that I have friends like this man who have a strong conviction in the grace of God and in his sovereign timing that God will open the next door to us at the right moment. I am thankful that Jesus will see their faith (through prayer) and “God will heal my jobless” as he did this man’s paralysis. Praise God for faith, friends, and supplies!