Wednesday, September 30, 2015
I was reading again recently the account in the gospel of Mark about the paralytic man who was healed when four of his friends brought him and laid him at Jesus’ feet. One of the features of the story, which many Bible readers fail to notice, or just plain choose to ignore, was the fact that Christ healed him according to the faith of His friends, not his necessarily. Mark 2:38 reads: “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Of course, he was also healed) Some may say that the verse does not specifically say that He was referring to the faith of the four and it could also include the faith of their sick friend. That may be true, but just a touch of spiritual insight, or even just plain common sense, will point out the extent of the faith of the four. After all, not only did they have to fight an enormous crowd just to get to Jesus, they even carried their sick friend to the roof of the house and had to cut an opening big enough in it to permit them to lower him at the exact spot where Jesus was. Some may say that this was just a case of stubborn determination on the part of the four, but those who have that kind of mindset, whether they themselves know it are not, have it because of the faith that resides in their heart, the belief that it can be done.
The truth I am trying to draw attention to is that many whose prayers have been answered, have come by the faith of those who are praying for them, not necessarily their own. The reason I am reminding you today of this truth is because I’m pretty sure that, at one time or another, some of you have been accused of not having any faith when one of your special prayer petitions has not been answered. It usually comes by way of the super spiritual types, but the one who is actually behind this evil scheme is the devil himself. He would like nothing better than to shake or destroy your faith. Unfortunately, many unsuspecting believers will fall for this lie and will actually believe that they have no faith at all. In light of the truth I just shared with you today, the next time some well-meaning, but uninformed, Christian accuses, or even scolds you for your lack of faith, you might want to turn the tables on them, in the love of Jesus, of course. Ask them if they have been praying for your special petition too. If the say they have, then you can tell them that they don’t have any faith.
Child of God, don’t be a victim of the devil’s lies. In our church bulletin this past Sunday, I shared this important bible verse with our members, where Jesus said: "For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." (Matthew 6:8) God knows all about your needs and I dare say that that some of these needs He will supply whether or not you ask Him, and regardless of your level of faith. Faith is an amazing gift to have, but even greater than that is the fact that your Heavenly Father loves you and will always answer your prayers in His way and at the perfect time.
Bible verse for the week: (1 John 3:19-20 KJV) “This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.”
