I’ve been blessed lately. Really blessed. Blessed with friends. Friendship is very important. The Bible is filled with verses talking about the importance of friends. It tells us how to make friends, how to keep friends, and how to treat friends. I think the point is that they are important. We need other people. So, lately, I’ve been blessed with the good friends the Lord has sent my way. And I’m thankful.

I was thinking about these things a little while ago, and I began to remember a story from the Bible. I’m sure most all of you have heard this story before. I remember learning about it for the first time in a flannel graph lesson in Sunday School when I was just a little girl.

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. And 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, but 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. And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.” Luke 5:17-26

This man was paralyzed. He couldn’t get to Jesus on his own. He needed to get to the Saviour, for he needed to be healed. His paralysis prevented him from getting to him, though. His friends…faithful friends who were convinced that their friend needed to get to Jesus…put him on a bed and carried this lame man to Jesus. When they got to where Jesus was, the crowd was so thick they couldn’t reach him. Most people would have gave up. They would have told him, “Maybe next time.” and took him home. These were faithful friends, though. They knew their friend needed to get to Jesus. They carried him up to the roof, tore the tiles away, and lowered their friend right to the feet of Jesus. In the verses above, it tells us when Jesus saw “their faith” He healed the lame man. Not when he saw the lame man’s faith, but the faith of his friends. I’m sure the lame man had faith that Jesus could heal him, but, regardless of his belief that Jesus could heal him, he didn’t have the ability to get to Him on his own.

What’s my point? Sometimes we struggle with things…hurts…fear…sin…and, regardless of our belief that Jesus can heal us and set us free, we just can’t get ourselves to Him. We need someone to take us to him. To carry us to Jesus. We need someone else’s faith to stand in the gap for us when we don’t have enough faith ourselves. If we could just get to Jesus, we could find our healing.

So, what about you? Do you have any friends who just can’t seem to get themselves to Jesus? Do you watch them stubbornly hold on to their sin? Does it hurt your heart to see them wrestle with things too big for them to handle? Do you feel helpless? You aren’t helpless. Carry them to Jesus. Get them to Him. Obviously, we can’t pick someone up and physically take them to His presence, but we can remind them of His love. We can pray for them and with them. We can carry their burden for a while, and let them rest.

The Bible says:

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16

I think most things are overrated. Prayer, however, is not one of those things. Prayer is powerful. It changes things. It changes people.

Carry your friends to Jesus. Lay them at His feet, and ask for their healing. God may just heal your friend when he sees your faith.