Right In Front of Jesus

“And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.” Luke 5:17b, 18-19

This is a beautiful story that exemplifies how important the Body of Christ is in ministering to the needs of others. This anonymous man was totally dependent on the others to receive the healing power of Jesus. Not only did these men bring the sick man directly to Jesus, but when circumstances threatened successful results they continued to find ways to get them together. They were relentless in their attempts to place the man ‘right in front of Jesus.’

There are so many brokenhearted people who need to be led to the healing feet of Jesus. The man was anonymous because it could be anyone and everyone. Our circumstances at one time or another has the potential to leave us paralyzed, just going through the motions of life. The unbeliever does not know how to sit at the feet of Jesus, but longs for a healing for which he is not even aware.

How hard do we work to bring others to the feet of Jesus? Do we just drop His name casually not even whetting the appetite of others? At the first sign of that uncomfortable feeling, do we give up on introducing our Lord to others? When trials arise do we allow thoughts of faithless resolution crowd our minds blocking the entrance to the great Healer?

Everyone has a set of circumstances by which they are carried through life, either requiring us to carry the mat or be carried on the mat. Whether we are praying to God for others or requiring prayer for ourselves, the feet are the same…they are the feet of the Healer and the Savior. We must continue to encourage, carry and lift up the downhearted and poor in spirit. Our testimony should be forever on our lips and eternally in our heart. In our own trials we cannot allow seeds of doubt and despair to crowd the doorways of testimony blocking the path for others to get to Jesus.

‘And the power of the Lord was present…’