They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. // Mark 2:3-4

“I know you can’t pray right now, so I’m praying in your place.”

The text from my best friend came through as I coaxed my cheek off the cool tile floor. I wiped the remaining vomit from the corner of my mouth—was it the grief or the early pregnancy?—and responded, “Thanks.” Then I laid back down near the toilet, continuing to not pray.

Today’s Gospel account is profound to pray with using lectio divina. Often, I sense the eagerness of the paralytic: the hope he must have had in meeting Jesus, the gratitude he felt toward his persistent friends, the deep desire to be healed. But sometimes I imagine he felt the opposite (because sometimes I do, too). What if he did not want to go see the Teacher that day? What if he had ceased to hope? What if he was resigned to his suffering?

And what if his friends brought him to Jesus anyway?

During that particularly intense season of suffering in my life, I was overwhelmed by “the crowds” of distraction, disappointment, and despair. I had to humbly rely on my community to do the heavy lifting to the roof and the lowering before the Healer. I often quipped that I couldn’t leave Jesus because the people in my life kept dragging me back to Him. Thank God for them.

There will be challenges in our lives that are crushing. But we must not lose hope. Jesus continuously calls us to Himself, ready to receive us at our weakest. He promises us forgiveness and healing that this world cannot provide. And if you can’t bring yourself to His feet, ask your friends to carry you there. After all, this is what we do every time we intercede for one another.

Who in your life can you pray for today? Think about it now. Name them. And do it. Drag them to the Lord and don’t stop.