Leading The Way - Devotional for May 22
May 22, 2025
Faith to Do Whatever It Takes
By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.
Read Mark 2:1-12.
In this passage, we see an example of four faith-filled friends who did something quite uncomfortable in order to bring their disabled companion to Christ. They arrived at a house in Capernaum where Jesus was teaching, and they could not navigate their way through the crowds—not with the stretcher they were carrying. No one was willing to move because no one wanted to miss a thing Jesus was saying.
But these four friends made the decision to move out in faith. They were going to move out of their comfort zone in order to bring their friend to the feet of Jesus, and nothing was going to stop them. They could have easily said to one another, “Well, we gave it our best shot.” Or worse, they could have feigned piety, as many people today do: “It must not be the will of God. It’s just not in His timing.”
They didn’t do that, of course. That’s because they had two qualities that determined their course. First, they had undaunted faith in Jesus. They knew only Jesus could give their friend what no one else could give him. They knew only Jesus could heal the body and the soul. Second, they had an irrepressible commitment to their friend’s well-being. They wanted the best for him, and they weren’t about to give up because of some obstacle standing in their way, no matter how difficult the way forward seemed.
And so, these four friends climbed up onto the roof of the house, dug a hole through the roof, and lowered their friend all the way down in front of Jesus. “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven’” (Mark 2:5). And a few moments later, Jesus also healed the man’s broken body—restoring both body and soul.
The Bible doesn’t tell us about the paralyzed man’s faith. What we do know is that Jesus saw his four friends’ faith—and that made all the difference.
When you try to bring someone to the feet of Jesus, that person may not know much about the Bible, the Christian faith, or why only Jesus can forgive their sins. But rest assured, God sees your faith. God sees your commitment. God sees your desire to see that person saved. God will honor your desire for their forgiveness and will take steps to honor your faith.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for the example of the sincere and bold faith of these friends. May I have that same fervor to see those around me come to know You, the lover of our souls. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
“Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on” (Mark 2:4).
Learn more in Dr. Michael Youssef’s sermon Look Who Moved Out, Part 1: LISTEN NOW
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Watch Dr. Michael Youssef on this week's broadcast of Leading The Way at LightSource.com.
