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Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven... Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” And the man jumped up and went home! (Matthew 2:5-8 NLT)

An unbelievable story! Jesus heals a paralytic, a man who had been bedridden, unable to move. No medical treatment, no physiotherapies. He gets up and starts walking! There are many miracle stories in the gospels. Every one of them is incredible. Jesus heals the blind, the crippled, the deaf, the dumb and the mute. Jesus is looking for faith. It is the faith of the person that makes the healing possible. "It's because you believe that you're healed," is the typical response Jesus gives to those who are touched and healed.

The interesting thing about this particular story - the story of the paralytic - is that we don't hear Jesus say these words to the person he had just touched. Not because the person didn't have enough faith. Rather, Jesus was impressed by what his friends did: they took him to the healer, believing he would cure. It says the healing came because "Jesus saw THEIR FAITH."

When we seek an answer to our prayers, we tend to rely on our own faith. This is normal and commendable - Jesus is looking for people who come to him in trust and obedience. But sometimes, for whatever reason, we are unable to break through to Jesus, and it is the people around us who take us to him. It is their faith which provokes the answer from heaven. What this means is that we have both the privilege and the responsibility to carry our friends and family to Jesus, to find ways to overcome the obstacles that may prevent them from experiencing God's miracle in their lives. We can pray, plead and intercede on their behalf. That's what friends are for.

Do you have people in your life who desperately need a miracle in their lives? Someone who, for whatever reason, is unable to move on their own. Maybe they are tired of fighting, have lost their hope, and are ready to give up their faith. What if you are that friend who is supposed to bring them to Jesus? And seeing YOUR faith, Jesus will do the impossible!

VY