...and when He saw their faith...
And when he saw their faith…
17 On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.[d] 18 And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, 19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. 26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.” Luke 5:17-26
This story has given me pause over the last couple of days. Honestly, it was what the Lord reminded me of as I was sitting in a place of worry. You see, the group of women I am discipling are practicing this week. They are practicing being ministers of the Gospel. It is a huge gift for me to be able to watch them, and an even bigger gift to the ladies who will learn from them. We have invited a large group of women over to my house to learn how to Eat the Word. With each person that RSVP’d “yes” my excitement grew, and so did my worries.
I was concerned about how many people were coming to my house. Was it going to be too crowded for people to feel comfortable? Would there be enough parking in my driveway for all the cars? Is it a problem that there’s only one bathroom? Is there going to be enough food? These uncertainties replayed over and over in my head ad nauseam. I began to lose sight of the mission because of all the other things I was focused on.
Yesterday morning I (finally) realized I was worrying about a ton of things, but I had not yet asked the Lord what he wanted. I offered a quick prayer asking the Lord for direction and was immediately reminded of this story from Luke 5. I got out my Bible to read the whole story for myself and could clearly hear my answer from the Lord.
The people that want to get close to Jesus push through the crowds. They find a way. They rip holes in rooftops and rappel down from the ceiling to get next to him. These people get to see miracles. These people get to hear the Lord speak to them personally. These people are ones that are set free from the things chaining them down.
This has given me tremendous relief from my anxious thoughts. Jesus is enough, and the people that are willing to press in despite the crowds, the obstacles, and the traps that the enemy lays… they’ll get to see him with their own eyes. Look back at verse 26: And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”
C’mon Jesus.
Bye, worries!