Have you ever had a moment when you wanted to tell the Lord, “I just don’t have it in me any longer!”
No more faith.
You’re tired of praying and not seeing results.
The more you worship, the worse things tend to get.
Your tank is empty, and you just don’t have anything left.
It could be problems at work where your co-worker has repeatedly taken credit for your hard work. Or it could be continual concerns within your family dynamic that only seem to multiply instead of decrease. For some, your health issues are glaring, and you just received another negative report from the doctor. Your frustration is at an all-time high and you’re tired; tired of praying, tired of fasting, and tired of even thinking about it all.
You’re not alone in these moments of despair. This is where the community must gather and rally their faith on your behalf.
We see this demonstrated in Mark 2:4-5 which tells about a time in history when Jesus was preaching in Capernaum to a crowd of people. He was in a home spreading God’s word and four men came around carrying a paralyzed man hoping to have Jesus heal him. However, they couldn’t get in due to the size of the crowd.
As they approached the house and saw that it was too crowded to get in, they decided to go through the roof and lower the man down to Jesus.
Think about that.
When they saw that going inside the conventional way was not possible, they decided to go through the roof to get this man healed. Logistically, this had to be a nightmare. They had already carried the man to the house from who knows where. Now, they had to go get tools so they could dig through the roof to create an opening large enough to fit him through it. Once the opening was made, they needed to actually get the man up on the roof and create some type of contraption that would lower him down to Jesus.
It’s tiring just thinking about it.
I’m sure the paralyzed man had given up faith when he saw the size of the crowd or even lost hope when he realized they were going to try to go through the roof. He was so close to seeing the Messiah, yet another obstacle stood in the way. What we see can be discouraging and even seem impossible.
Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” -Mark 2: 4-5 (NIV)
The scripture says, “When Jesus saw their faith . . .” (emphasis added). The paralyzed man didn’t have to keep believing, keep praying and keep hoping. The faith of the four men was enough to move Jesus. Their faith was enough to move obstacles out the way and make room for Jesus to do what He does best.
Sometimes, we need our community to surround us in difficult times. We need friends to intercede when we’re all out of words. We need advisors to cover us and share scripture to strengthen our faith when it’s running on fumes. We need family to worship on our behalf.
Who is your “their”? Who do you have in your circle that is bold enough, strong enough, innovative enough, wise enough, resilient enough and courageous enough to think, “well, the door won’t work so let’s go through the roof”?
The verse doesn’t say anything about the paralyzed man calling out to Jesus or one of the four explaining why they were taking such drastic measures. Jesus saw their faith and I believe He saw their hope and heard their prayers.
Who you associate with can be vital to your life and your walk of faith. Who you allow around you, who you vent to or share your concerns with can be detrimental to your future. If those closest to you simply listen and don’t offer encouragement or direct you back to God’s word, you may need to widen your circle. You need people who are willing to intercede on your behalf and stand in the gap when you are feeling low. You need people of faith who have your back even when it’s pressed against the wall.
If you are waiting on God to move in your life, be it healing, restoration, or the fulfillment of your deepest desires, surround yourself with spiritually-minded people who will boldly act on your behalf and have enough faith to take the roof off.
Father, I pray for those who are needing encouragement tonight. Send them loved ones and a sense of community to remind them that they are not alone. Remind them how you have strategically placed people in their lives to support them in their difficult times. Holy Spirit, give them divine strategy so your will can be done in their lives. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
