THE POWER OF THE CORNER
As I am packing on the years lately, fifty two of them to be exact, friendships have ebbed and flowed. I guess we all have those seasonal friends. Those that God allowed in our lives for a season then God moves us along to our next assignment or geographical location. Friendships shift for lots of reasons.
But we all probably have a few friends (we could count on one hand) that we call on through the thick and thin. Those are the folks that really know you! The friends that when the bottom drops out and so does your faith, they are the ones you call! Those are not the fair weather friends. Those are the down and dirty ones! We see four of those in the scriptures today.
Mark 2:1-5 tells of a story of four men carrying their friend to Jesus. They do what it takes! The area is crowded with people so they rip apart the roof and hoist him down from above. This unnamed paralytic has four friends that are in it through the thick and thin! These friends know he’s got to get to Jesus. Jesus has finally arrived back in Capernaum and everyone knows it!
Here’s how it went down!
The house where Jesus resides is jammed packed. Folks are peeking in the windows. They are in the streets! If they can get in ear shot of Him speaking, those areas are filled to the brim. The house won’t hold one more body! Everyone is wanting to either hear His words or be touched by Him. There are a few naysayers there to cause trouble but the friends of the paralytic are there because they know Jesus is miracle worker and their friend needs one!
As I said earlier, they go to extraordinary lengths to make a way for their friend. They look at the packed crowd and look and look for a way to get him in! They are clever! They take off the tiles of the roof, one my one, and make a hole in the roof and lower their friend right down at the feet of Jesus. Each man has grabbed a corner to get him there. The importance and power of holding the corner for a friend to get them to Jesus has eternal significance. We see it in this story! We are still called to it today!
You see Jesus was in the room! Did you catch that?
JESUS WAS IN THE ROOM!
I think we’ve heard it so much we just glaze right over it! Friends, Jesus…was in the room!!!! These lifters of the corners believe Jesus has the power to heal Him! These are some real friends! I wish I had these fella’s names! What a testimony of their faith in God!
There are a few things I see about these close friends!
–It was their faith that Christ saw that prompted Him to heal.
How profound is that? It is important that we carry our friends to Jesus! Our faith makes a difference! I think about the passage in Matthew 13 where it states, “and He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief”! How heavy is that? I wonder if that’s why we don’t see more moves of God than we do today!? Has our unbelief clogged the “blessing” pipeline? This should cause us pause. How are we believing God to move in the lives of our friends? I just had a friend come to mind! I must believe God will move in their lives! It’s that important. Are we believing or are we the naysayers in the room? It’s ok to sit with the fact that you might be a naysayer! This is where the Holy Spirit exposes our lack of faith!
–They were close enough to carry him.
Let’s be real, today we are lone ranger Christians. If we are struggling, very few people know it! We hide our struggles! Our pride won’t let us be transparent enough to put ourselves in a position to be carried. Shew wee that will preach! Being in covenant with a few people who can carry you when you can’t move on your own is powerful! You don’t have to be a paralytic to be paralyzed. This man had four men he would allow to carry him. Who are your four? You must first realize you are broken and need a Savior to be in the position to know you need to be carried. Seems like today, we are so afraid to look vulnerable or broken. Christ died for the broken. I am broken! It’s about time we as Christ followers were honest that we really do need the Savior we profess. If you don’t have your “four” find them! I can guarantee you they are close! You just don’t know they are willing to pick up a corner and carry you. Be willing to be carried and be willing to carry!
I don’t know that I’ve ever had those that would love me when I was unlovable or ungodly. I don’t think I have ever thought I had arrived enough to trust them into my hard calloused spots! I think I have those now! In all transparency its kinda scary and kinda freeing. I think this is what it’s supposed to look like. Corner carriers know where the scares originate. I allow my dirty spots to be seen so someone can throw some Jesus windex on them and steer me in the right direction!
Do you have those that you will allow to carry you? I mean that’s an inner circle right there! Do I have those people that I would trust to pick up a corner and carry me? I do today! I don’t know that I’ve always had them! Perhaps I’ve not had them because I wouldn’t allow someone to carry me! There is some transparency right there! Even as I type, God is working on me!
I think it’s important to see who you are carrying to Jesus and who you allow to carry you to Jesus! We all need those who are in the powerful position of “corner carriers” in our lives! I need to be a “corner carrier” and I need “corner carriers”!
Who are you carrying?
I’ve always heard it takes a village to raise a child! It takes the body of Christ working together just like you see these four working together to carry their friend to Jesus.
Who are you carrying?
Have you grabbed your corner to carry someone lately? It’s a serious call!
Maybe it’s time for you to really believe for a friend!
Your faith and your willingness to carry your friend to Jesus could be the recipe for their healing!
Get to carrying my friend!
-Marni
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