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ROOM THROUGH THE ROOF? Mark 2: 1-12 In Mark 2, God tells us of a man, whose body, heart, and life were changed, all because that body, heart, and life were sincerely searching for the Healer. No matter how many seekers thronged around Jesus, our Lord proved that He had room to heal one more. But how would this man draw near? The Bible says that since there was no room to enter at the door, this needy man and his caretakers chose the roof. (vss. 3, 4) Many things were a “blockage” to this sick man’s searching path, including the crowds, the doorway, the walls, and yes, even the roof. In desperate, driving faith, all of them were overcome, in order to (not stand) but lie helplessly in the presence of the Healer. Jesus said, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” And to multiply the proof of His love, He also says, “Arise, and take up thy bed, and go…” An incomplete, lost man was made complete from the inside out. One thing I have noticed, in experience, is that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, as the Bible says. What was good for a searching, empty, withered man, back in Jesus’ day, still holds good for people like me. Anytime I come, I can be offered God’s mighty healing from the things that cripple my young heart. “For all have sinned, and come short…” and included in that "all" is this writer, with a past of sin and shame…a shame that sparked knowledge of the Merciful Healer. Mercy bypasses what a human heart deserves, and cleansing happens when that human heart comes, without giving up. Then, providing freedom, He says, “Go, and sin no more.” Can you think of a better way to be healed, than a mending of wounds created by sin and the past? Yet the generous, tender heart of God reaches even beyond the sin-stains, and offers healing for every crippled place. One of my favorite characteristics of our God is His knowledge of our "frame", as the Bible puts it. Every fear, every human feeling, every temptation, every blindness, every unsure footstep, is open and made visible before the caring eyes of the One who walked this way before us. What is His response to what He sees? Healing. When He sees a child lying at His feet, before His throne, crying in the dark, and pleading for His touch, He reaches for her chin, and locks her eyes with His. Suddenly, a cripple is made whole, and that child’s life, faith, and feelings are safe in His hand…the Hand that guides, and provides a plan. He says, “My hand is always open. Arise and walk.” We do not obey these two commands by human strength, but by trustfully reaching for that open hand. Arising, we feel Him near, and all of Heaven declares that we will never walk alone. With all my love, ~ Kara Heather Warren
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