I was reading about the four men who lowered their friend through the roof down to Jesus in Mark 2 this week during church. It’s the story of the paralyzed man who was healed. These people brought their friend who couldn’t walk to be healed, and upon getting there, couldn’t get into the room where Jesus was speaking. Verse 4 tells us that when they couldn’t get through, they went up to the roof, cut a hole in the ceiling and lowered him down to see Jesus.
Mark 2:5 says, “And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’”
I don’t know how this feels to you, but this whole story screams of courage. More importantly it took faith, a tremendous amount of faith. They had an air of expectancy when they walked up to that house. They didn’t come hoping Jesus would heal their friend. They EXPECTED that Jesus would heal their friend. They believed that Jesus being who He is would heal the man. And in that day, not only did Jesus forgive the man of his sins and heal him spiritually, He told him to pick up his pallet and go home (vs. 11) and healed him physically.
Do we have that same expectancy when we come to Jesus with our petitions? I know there are times when I wish His answers were as clear as the answer given to the paralyzed man. But I also recognize that I need to come to Him with an expectation that He WILL answer my petition…in the way that most brings Him the glory.
I think that coming to him with the expectation that there will be an answer allows me to be content with whatever the answer is. Think about those 4 friends and Jesus’s immediate answer to the paralyzed man. The initial answer wasn’t that he could walk. He DID, however, give him an answer that still healed.
I pray, Iron Porch, that as we come to the throne of God with our petitions, seeking Christ, that we have that same air of expectancy of an answer. Because the answer He gives will be the right answer for you.
~Erin
Iron Porch 