Their Faith

“Seeing their faith, Jesus said to them man,
‘Son, your sins are forgiven.'”
Luke 5:20 NLT
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One of the most painful things in this life is hearing someone you adore tell you they think they’re worthless. I can’t even begin to count the number of people who’ve confessed to me that they think they have nothing to offer our world because they lack:

the right weight/pants size
enough beauty
enough strength
enough confidence
the “right kind” of success
enough intelligence
enough experience
charisma

I’ve been in that place. I’ve de-valued myself based upon criteria that doesn’t actually determine my worth at all. Haven’t we all at one phase in life or another? Looking back on that painful time, it becomes abundantly clear how powerful it is to have ONE PERSON believe in you. One person who looks you in the eye and says over and over again “You ARE enough. You carry INFINITE value. You are worth so much more than you let yourself believe.”

Believing for someone is an incredibly powerful thing. Faith is not a self-contained unit that only benefits the person who believes. God has given us an incredible ability to bless others – even people who don’t believe – with our faith in him and his infallible love for us all. When we believe HIS VALUE of all our lives, it changes everything.

I never realized it, but it’s mentioned in the Bible, among other places, in an account I’ve read dozens of times. Jesus heals someone because of HIS FRIENDS’ FAITH.

¹⁸Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. ¹⁹When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. ²⁰When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 5:18-20 NIV)

“When Jesus saw THEIR faith.” When Jesus saw the paralyzed man’s friends’ faith – a faith that stopped at nothing to bring their hurting friend to The Healer – he changed that man’s life. He healed the paralyzed man’s soul and body (v.24-25).

Are you reading this and picturing someone you love who is paralyzed by fear, regret or anxiety? Pray for them. Pray with them. Let your faith be stronger than their doubt. Believe God’s value of them can heal any hurt they are immobilized by and give them a reason to believe it, too. Let God’s grace, truth and compassion guide your actions in and around their lives so that, by your faith, they their life can be changed.

Are you reading this and thinking “What if I’M the one hurting right now?!” Let someone know. Ask God to put someone in your life who can pray with you and for you. If you don’t have anyone in your life right now that can do that, email me (emily@messyworship.com) and I will pray with you and for you.

God didn’t place us here alone – we are here together for a reason. Don’t let your faith be just yours – it could mean more than you know for someone you love right now.

^{9 “}Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: ¹⁰If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. ¹¹Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? ¹²Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecc 4:9-12 NIV)

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Dear Lord, teach me to have faith like the paralyzed man’s friends. Teach me to not let obstacles stand in the way of my faith. Help me clearly and easily see ways to bring those hurting to you. Be with those hurting right now, Lord. Send them a friend or family member who can be with them and help them see their worth is infinite because of you. Amen.