It's here: Part 9 of the 9 part series - how to get prayers answered
The Rhythm of The Gospels -D7
DAILY DEVOTIONAL
7/8/20262 min read
Four Friends and a Hole in the Roof.
Radical faith that carries what it cannot cure
"When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven you.'" — Mark 2:5 (NKJV)
Picture the scene. A house in Capernaum so full that the air has gone thick and warm with bodies. People pressed in from the doorway, filling every corner, spilling into the street. Word had traveled fast, Jesus is here they said. Everyone who could walk had come running. Including four men carrying someone who couldn't.
They stood at the edge of that crowd with their friend on a mat between them and the door sealed solid with people. But no one parted, and no one offered to make way. There was a moment — you can feel it in the text — where lesser faith would have turned around. They could have said 'we tried. It's too crowded. We'll bring him another day.'
Instead, one of them looked up and thought of a way in through the roof. Mark tells it almost casually: they uncovered the roof, broke it open, and lowered the mat down through the hole into the room where Jesus stood. Can you see it — dust falling, heads turning upward. The crowd going silent. And then a man descending slowly on ropes, his face looking up at his four friends watching from the hole above.
Picture for a moment Jesus looking at that scene, the broken roof, the ropes, the four faces peering down. Where others might have seen property damage, He saw faith. Their faith. The paralyzed man hadn't carried himself anywhere. He had trusted four friends to carry him where he couldn't go alone. And Jesus honored the faith of every hand that held that rope. I love this story.
Someone in your life may be too paralyzed right now to reach Jesus on their own. They don't have the strength to pray, to hope, to get up and go. Be a friend with a mat. Write down one name today. Then pray for them with the kind of faith that breaks through ceilings — persistent, creative, and refusing to turn back at the door.
Scripture Promise:
"Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." — James 5:16 (NKJV)
Prayer:
Father, thank you for those who have carried me when I needed help. Lord give me that same desire to minister to others in whatever way you choose for me to assist. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Stay in Rhythm. Stay in Grace.
Join us for daily encouragement and growth.
Email US
© 2025. All rights reserved.