Mark 2:1-12 ~ preaching the word to them

Mark 2:1-12

And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door.

And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.

5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”

12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Luke 18:17
Truly I tell you, if anyone does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child, he will never enter it.

During my childhood, people would ask the 'grit-in-your-eye, lean-forward-question' :

"Do you pray at red lights and for parking spaces?" Even "Maude", "All in the Family" and"The Jeffersons" all talked about this. And I don't think there was ever a very snappy reply to remember.

We all know how we are sad for people who have lost a beloved pet. Today, there is another process to grieve: the loss of your computer. The loss of data, memories - it's really difficult for people to lose a computer. And thank God for innovations of stored memory and facebook.

Maybe we should advance the question from red lights and parking spaces to, "Do you pray for your computer?" Considering it is a social media device, needed for so many things, a very complex instrument - we probably should. The internet is a series of tubes.


What would we
expect
when we pray for our computer?

Matthew 19:26
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

And when we think of the wonders of God we should include this...
God gave the people who would bring the prayer-applicant for help. God wants us to know Jesus picked to live in this world - the ill, blind, hearing loss, lame, well, politicians, Synagogue officials (Jairus), unimportant children, women, tax thugs, political war-minded zealots - the world. The people who love technology and the people who pray for that person's help.


The prayer of a paralyzed man generally happens in a medical facility today. And this is heard today by Jesus. Yet paralysis - and what we need - is all about this Scripture.


Certainly, a computer is built of systems and hardware. Yet Jesus is the Word of God - Living.

John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.


The Holy Spirit is displayed in the Scriptures as fire - and what is fire? Electricity. If we don't approach praying - a little like the simplicity of a child - our ideas will stop rolling. Sometimes we have great faith in things like electricity - without the wonder of God who spoke and the solar system exist on His Word.  The sun - rising each day -  is God's.  Where we really place our faith and why prayers go everywhere.


The Light continues to shine.

And on our path to the Lord and with our Father. You Light our steps.

Abba,

You tell us in Psalm 139, our days are Blessed.  Help us to remember each day - We are Your Special and Chosen Child.  To value ourselves as You do. We are named by God. We have our days written in Your Book of Life.

With Your Blessing and Your Favor, we have strength to do Your Plan. We have Joy to Hope in Your Path for us. We have Love to be fed and nourished in the most important aspect of us - Love - where Your Holy Spirit and our eternal essence dwells.

We pray this Love, Great Love, blesses those we Love. The People You have given us. We pray more Heaven upon earth. Blessing our families, schools, workplaces, homes, Churches and Nations. The Love You have for us seen in all our lives. 

Thank You for Your Word and Plan.

In Jesus we have the Victory. Amen.

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Oops, we didn't exactly pray for computers. What was intended - to pray when we turn the computer on, to pray when we see images we don't like and attitudes not given to the Lord. To pray when computers are broken. Giving thanks conversations are heard by the Lord God our Father. And He knows the intentions of the heart. Amen in Jesus.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †