Jesus and a Paralyzed Man

Helpless

Hopeless

Alone

No home

No friends

Paralyzed

38 years

1,976 weeks

13,832 days

19,918,080 seconds

That's a long time!  Let that sink in.

And then in one moment his situation changes.

One man - Jesus

One question - "Do you want to be healed?"

Eight words - "Get up, take up your bed, and walk."

Most of us are not paralyzed physically, but we are all in need of help and hope.

There is a lot more to this miracle and this conversation continues, but for now let's think about hopelessness.  How have you lost hope?  When we lose hope we are tempted to give up.  We begin to believe that nothing will ever change.  The paralyzed man felt that way.  When Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed he never said, "yes."  He gave an excuse.  Thankfully this man's despair was no deterrent for Jesus.  This man's excuse was no obstacle for Jesus.

The Bible is clear from beginning to end - we cannot save ourselves, we cannot heal ourselves.  We depend fully on Another.  So..."God demonstrated His love for us in this, that while we were still sinners Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

My prayer is that we would ask Jesus to heal us of our hopelessness.  No matter how long we have struggled Jesus still knows, cares and heals today.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13) 

In Christ, 

Steven