One morning as I was walking and praying for a friend in need, God brought
the scripture Mark 2 to my mind. It reads from the Message bible in this
manner:
“After a few days, Jesus returned to Capernaum, and word got around that he
was back home. A crowd gathered, jamming the entrance so no one could get
in or out. He was teaching the Word. They brought a paraplegic to him,
carried by four men. When they weren’t able to get in because of the crowd,
they removed part of the roof and lowered the paraplegic on his stretcher.
Impressed by their bold belief, Jesus said to the paraplegic, “Son, I
forgive your sins.”…”Get up. Pick up your stretcher and go home.” And the
man did it – got up, grabbed his stretcher, and walked out, with everyone
there watching him. They rubbed their eyes, incredulous – and then praised
God saying, “We’ve never seen anything like this!”
God showed me that we never know when it is our turn to be on the stretcher
completely helpless with the only thing we can do is to look up. Thank
goodness when we cannot move or at times even think straight, we have
Christian friends who will lift us up in prayer and who are bold enough to
do what ever it takes to take us to the throne room of God. They release us
to the Lord Jesus Christ whose words can bring total healing. We thank God
for those who take us to the Doctor who can heal all aspects of our lives
and loves us. May we all give God the praise for his grace, mercy, and love
to heal us and for Christian friends who know Jesus is the only one to
entrust the well being of a friend.
Are we this kind of friend to others?
thedailylily.com 
Very intresting that this man had four friends. God’s Word speaks of the power of the prayer of agreement. This brings to mind the importance of our church family, our prayer groups and other gatherings of Christian friends being in agreement in the time of need.
It seems the one on the stretcher was also in agreement of participation. Agreement is a very powerful tool.
Rena, thank you for being a special prayer partner to many and may many be in the prayer of agreement for you in your times of need today and always. I hope that as each one reads this they will lift your name and your family to our Father in prayer.
I found that the number four means completion..according to The New King James Version The New Open Bible study ed….and it gave John 4:35 as one of two ref.”four months and then comes the harvest” .also I found five meant incomplete and it gave Matt 25:2 (Sara this is something you will find interesting) it speaks of the five foolish virgins having no oil..they were not complete…well I saw that as the four men were in agreement and as you said the one on the stretcher was also in agreement of participation…He was incomplete in body but he was complete in his agreement…So..four is complete, but the fifth one was incomplete…then He was raised up…one whole man..so I looked up the number one..and that meant unity…..He was raised up and they had unity.. Deut.6:4…Wow..when christian family/friends work together in agreement…you get results..UNITY.. and thats what Jesus prayed for in John 1711..”that they may be one as We are”……thanks for causing me to dig deeper…dj
Thank you for the prayers. God has been so good to me. As I have told friends we each could be on that stretcher in an instant. It is so wonderful to have wonderful Christian friends like the ones here on the Daily Lily. May each one be blessed and wrapped in prayer this day.
Wow, what a mighty act of Faith…even though the people were jamming the enterence..these men were determind and God showed those four men the way even when to others there seemed to be no way..Gods word says in Deuteronomy 4:29.”But if from there thou shalt seek the Lord the God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul”…they were seeking with all their hearts..they were in agreement..it says in Ecclesiastes 4:12 …”and a threefold cord is not quickly broken”…well there was four.. and I looked up the meaning of four and it mean completion..and it gives the scripture John 4:35…There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest”..wow what a harvest!…Yes All praise to God for His grace, mercy and love to heal us …and for Christian friends ….Bless you Rena and Family…this what you shared goes right along with all that Ive been studying these last weeks about…true love..and letting your light so shine that men will see and bless God……I pray God keeps you strong as you walk and pray and get more like this to share…dj
Thanks Dorothy for your study of four. I love learning. Great work!
Four gives us the symbolic meaning of worldwide, universal. Think about the internet worldwide! http://www.thedailylily.com…worldwide-Four
Some referral scriptures, Isal 11:12; Ge 2:10, Dan 7:6:17, Mt. 15:38, Mk 2:3, Jn. 11:17,39, Rev 7:1 and their are others.
Just take a look at Rev 7:l “Immediately, I saw Four Angels, standing at the four corners of earth, standing stead with a firm grip on the four winds so no wind would blow on earth or sea, not even rustle a tree.”
Think on this.
Thank you Rena for all your intercessory prayer sessions and wrapping in prayer in the behalf of your sisters & brothers in Christ. Thank you for taking a chunk out of your busy life and laying aside a time to pray for others in the BODY of Christ. Jesus said that a true friend lays down his life for a friend. And that is what you do each time you give of your time to pray for those whom the LORD lays on your heart. That is a truly marvelous gift from GOD to you AND TO US.
These friends’ persistence or diligence in responding to a need remind me of the story in Luke 11:5-13 where one friend troubles another who is in bed in order to obtain bread for a visiting friend. The friend in bed rises and gives the other as many as he needs because of his persistence. …”ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.”
Rena as you have so faithfully given in prayer for others may God give back unto you…”good measure, pressed down, shaken togther and running over…” Luke 6:38 and may you experience the blessings of Isaiah 58:11 and …”be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.”
Debi, your Scriputres on persistence remind me of a wonderful Scripture promise in Matthew 7:7 that says (paraphrased from the AMP), “Ask (and keep on asking) and it shall be given to you. Seek, (and keep on seeking) and you shall find. Knock, (and keep on knocking) and it shall be opened unto you.” So it seems Jesus is in agreement with you concerning being persistent. After all…all His promises are “yea and amen!” So if at first we don’t succeed, keep on asking and seeking and knocking.