Oct. 13, 2024

This is surely one of the most heart-warming stories of faith and friendship.  The paralytic was blessed to have four friends of faith who were determined to bring him to Jesus and would not be deterred by the crowds.  Friends of faith will bring you to Jesus--they will even carry you to Jesus if necessary. Faith finds a way, or faith makes a way.  It was not just determination or even desperation that impressed our Lord about the action of these four.  He recognized their faith.  They believed that if they could just get their paralyzed friend to Jesus, he would be healed.  They didn't yet know that Jesus, the Friend of sinners, would do an even greater miracle--He would forgive the man's sins.  We can be that kind of friend to someone else.  Parents are friends of faith for their children. They carry their children to church when they are small. As they grow older, parents carry their children to Jesus in prayer.