When my sister was a child, she had numerous experiences of overcoming obstacles. She was born with poor vision and had to have glasses before she was a year old. A few years later she was having so many ear infections that they had to put tubes in her ears.
The good news is she was able to overcome all these difficulties and the Lord used those to give her an amazing compassion for kids with difficulties. Today she is a successful Special Education teacher.
Maybe you have also experienced obstacles in your life that you had to work to overcome. Maybe you are experiencing one right now. Many times, obstacles are not fun. They can frustrate or anger us. Sometimes we don’t understand why we have to face such an obstacle in life.
Obstacles may leave us depressed and lonely. We may ask, “Where is the Lord in all of this?” If you are asking that question today, know that our heavenly Father knows what you are going through and is filled with compassion. He always has time to listen to you as you pour out your heart to Him.
The Paralyzed Man Faced Obstacles
Most of us don’t know what it is like to depend on others because of paralysis. The handicapped in the days of Jesus faced a difficult life of poverty. Somehow the paralyzed man and his friends had heard about Jesus. They knew Jesus healed. Perhaps, if the friends could get the paralyzed man to Jesus, the paralysis could be healed. We don’t know how far they traveled to get to Jesus, but they would not be thwarted because of the large crowd.
Luke 5:18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, 19 but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.” [1] Not only did Jesus forgive his sins, but he also healed him of his paralysis.
Obstacles Can be Opportunities to Show God’s Glory
For the faithful believer, obstacles represent opportunities not problems. Many times, we only see that in hindsight. The Lord can demonstrate His awesome power in overcoming obstacles. At such times, we grow in our faith and learn more about our Father. If we view hardships simply as troubles, then we can miss demonstrations of God’s love, power, and wisdom.
The Apostle Paul knew this. 2 Cor. 12:8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. [2]
To hear more about overcoming obstacles, listen here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/seeking-the-lord-changes-my-life-paralyzed-man-friends
[1,2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.