Gettin' Ready to Help Others
Life has its problems, and all of us can attest to it. Some of our problems are so big that they rearrange our entire lifestyle while others may be little more than petty annoyances. But there is yet another problem - problems that are not our own, but problems we come to own, which often prove to be the most difficult ones to bear. What do we do with these problems? To whom do we go when they show up on our doorstep? Let’s look at a few troublesome situations in the Bible.
Four men had a problem, their friend suffered from some form of paralysis. They heard Jesus was in town, so they placed their friend on a stretcher and carried him to see the Lord. However, when they arrived, they could not get in because the place was full of people. They knew Jesus was the only hope for their friend so they did something unusual; they hoisted their paralyzed friend onto the housetop, cut a hole in the roof and lowered their friend into the Lord’s presence. Their efforts were rewarded for their friend was healed.
A mother had a serious problem, her daughter was vexed by a demon. When she found out that Jesus was passing through her coastal town, she ran to meet Him and cried for His help. She was not a Jew so the disciples tried to send her away, but she refused to leave until Jesus healed her daughter. Jesus saw the amazing faith of this Canaanite woman who was willing to depart with a mere word of deliverance. Her faith was not dis-appointed, her daughter was made whole that very hour.
Jairus had a problem that was worse than he thought, his only daughter, just twelve years old was very sick. He was a Jewish ruler in the synagogue; people brought their problems to him, but this was one he could not solve. Folks said Jesus was the Messiah; if so, He could heal his daughter. Jairus ran to find Jesus and begged Him to come heal his daughter. The Lord agreed to come, but when they arrived it was too late, the daughter had died. Jesus assured Jairus that He was still able to help. It was not long before grief stricken hearts were filled with joy and amazement as they watched the Lord give new life to their dead daughter.
What we repeatedly find in the Bible is the fact that God can solve the problems of life; in fact He even designs some of our difficulties to draw us to Him. So if you’re getting ready to help people with problems…bring them first to Jesus.