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. 18And 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, 19but 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. 20And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” Luke 5:17-20

I heard a sermon on this passage several weeks ago from our pastor Joe Ryer. Joe made the point that the friends of the paralytic refused to let any obstacles, large or small, stand in their way. Think about it for a minute. Their friend was paralyzed and probably hadn’t walked for decades, so they hauled him around on a stretcher. People were packed into every crack of the house, making it impossible to get through the door. So they went up onto the roof, cut out a large hole, and then helped their paralyzed friend rappel down into the house. These guys absolutely refused to give up. They clung to hope like a pit bull locks on to a piece of meat. Why? Because they knew who was in the house. They knew that Jesus could heal their friend in an instant. So they pressed on.

I face obstacles when I pray for Ian. I face fears, doubts, and lots of unbelief. But Joe’s message sparked a fire in my heart. I will not let these obstacles stop me from praying for my friend Ian. By God’s grace, I resolve to keep praying, over and over, without fail. I resolve to bring my friend Ian to the Savior again and again. Will you join with me? Let’s resolve to continue pressing through all obstacles and praying for our friend.

-Stephen A