There's a story in the Gospel of Mark about a paralytic man who is carried to Jesus by his friends on a mat. (*To read the story, go to Mark chapter 2, beginning with verse 1.) One of the remarkable things that happens is that Jesus heals the guy! But He does something else...something that the man didn't even ask Jesus to do: He forgives him. Why did Jesus do that?
I think it is because Jesus knew that the man who was unable to walk needed something even more than his body to work properly. Now, that was important to Jesus, too...so He healed him. But before He did that, He forgave the man his sins. Jesus is saying that He is more than a miracle worker. More than someone who can help us out when we find ourselves in a mess. He was clearly saying that He was - and is - God. (*That's why the teachers of the law reacted so severely to Jesus when He forgave the man...because only God can forgive sins.) And as God, Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows not only our obvious, visible needs, but also our deep, hidden needs.
I wonder what would happen if you went to Jesus and asked Him to help you? I wonder if He would not only answer your prayer, but give you something you didn't even know you needed?
Comments