Mark 2:1-5

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven.

What did God reveal to me in this passage? There is so much here; people crowding, Jesus teaching, friends of a paralytic lowering him through a roof and Jesus forgiving his sins. What Jesus gave was a gift from his heart, not a reward for their faithfulness. He felt the man's pain and the community of the friends.

He didn't heal everyone who was paralyzed or who had friends who loved them. He doesn't heal everyone today. I don't know why he heals when he does. May be it's random or connected to some act on the part of the one being heal, but I doubt that. I know he's God and his promise is to be with us in our pain and pleasure, troubles and triumphs, disappointments and elation.

His presence is the only gift we can expect. Not healing, not blessing, not even peaceful circumstances. If his presence is enough we can have inner peace and comfort. At times, that isn't enough but we are encouraged to pray for peace, healing and blessing in our circumstances just as the widow with the unjust ruler. She kept going back over and over till he relented. May be God will relent if we keep coming? May be that is why he heals some - they are unrelenting in their prayers, love, faith and trust. the men who lowered the paralytic were relentless in their faith and trust that God could and would heal their friend.

What do I do with this? Trust- trust God trust him with myself. Trust him to love me. Trust him for what he believes about me even when I don't believe it myself. Lord I pray you help me trust you today. Your presence with me, your love for me and what you think about me. I love you.