The Pastor’s Porch
August 21, 2020
Good Friday morning to you! First of all, thank you to all of you who prayed for me yesterday. Everything went extremely well. Thank goodness today is a quieter one! I must admit that I marveled yesterday as God did His work through me. The gratitude from the pastors and churches was incredible, and instead of being worn out, I was energized and enjoyed all of the hours that I worked. I honestly think that what I experienced was the act of being carried through the prayers that you were praying. I have always been struck by the story of the friends who carried their paralyzed friend on a mat. They were so determined to get him to Jesus for healing, they cut a hole in the roof of the house where He was, and lowered the friend down through it. And it says that because of the faith of the friends, Jesus did heal him. Yesterday through the power of your faith, my praying friend, pastors were encouraged! Never underestimate the power of having people pray for you. I know that sometimes people feel that it shows weakness to ask for prayer, but instead it shows wisdom and faith. Who do you need to ask to pray for you today?
Lord, Jesus, thank You for answering prayer—both my own and the prayers that others pray for me. Help us not to hesitate to ask and to offer prayer to others. Amen.
Mark 2:3-12
3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things?9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
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