A Closed Door Is Not Always A Closed Door
What would have happened to the paralytic if his friends who were carrying him approached the scenario like this:
"I hear Jesus is at that house nearby," friend #1 says. "I think this might be our opportunity to approach him in order to get John (aka. the paralytic) healed."
"You know," says friend #2, "I think you're right. Let's pray about it and ask God for a sign of confirmation so that we know for sure."
If they had thought it through that way, I think a closed door with a room full of people and no space for them to carry a mat through might have been deemed the "sign from God" to turn around and wait for another time; a better time with easier circumstances.
Instead, these men of faith knew that Jesus could heal people, knew they loved their friend, and knew that they just needed to see Jesus (no matter what it cost them) and so they got to experience a miracle and help a friend in a life-altering way.
Reminder for me: stop asking God for signs of confirmation; just trust God's goodness & power and keep pressing towards him no matter how hard the opposition. Just because the door may be closed and the room may be full doesn't mean that Jesus doesn't want you there. It just might be that the door is closed! So you need to go in through another way!
Created almost 2 years ago
