Fresh StartSample

Break the Barriers

Have you ever been in a situation where you really needed to see someone, and were willing to do anything just to see them? At the beginning of Mark 2, Jesus was staying in a house with a large group of people. Four men wanted to bring a paralysed friend to Jesus but could not get through, so they dug through the roof and lowered their friend into the house to be healed by Jesus.

The roof of a peasant’s house was typically built with wooden beams filled with compacted soil for waterproofing. It was no easy task to dig through the roof and create a hole large enough to lower a person through. Yet the four men still did it for one reason – they trusted that Jesus could help their paralysed friend.

Real trust involves more than just lip service saying, “I trust you.” When you trust a person, you would naturally act upon your trust – you feel safe investing in that person, breaking down any barrier between you two, and entrusting things to them.

The same applies to trusting God. Just like those four men breaking through the roof, real trust in God would translate into real actions to break down any barriers between you and Him, whether they take the form of distractions, lies, or idols.

What barriers stand between you and God? What actions can you take to break down those barriers? Just as those four men entrusted their friend to Jesus, real trust in God takes real commitment to surrender to His sovereignty.

Your trust in God will overflow into your love for others. The four men did not break the roof for their own sake, but for the sake of their paralysed friend – that’s how much they trusted Jesus’ power. Can you do the same for someone this week? Who will your trust overflow to?