Galathians 6:10
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Our tour group had just crossed the Sea of Galilee, and we were walking up the sloping bank when our guide pointed out a low, round building being excavated in what had once been Capernaum. "They think this is Peter's house," he said. "The home that Jesus and His disciples often visited."

This was also the spot where there had been so many people wanting to see Jesus one day that no more could get inside. But that didn't stop four men who were carrying an ill friend. They simply crawled on top the structure, cut a hole in the roof and let the sick man down through the opening. Can't you just visualize that paralyzed figure on a stretcher with each of the four men having a grab-hold on one corner? What ingenuity. One, two or even three fellows could not have managed this maneuver; it took four.

I often think of this story when I learn of someone whose problems�illness, financial, mental, whatever�are so great that even "two or three who gather together in My name" are not enough. That one may be so paralyzed that he or she cannot possibly get through a problem alone, or even with the aid of two or three more. This is a time to make sure there are four, each of whom will grab one corner.

It is touching to read how the story ends: Jesus sees the faith of the four and heals the fifth, and all five share in the benefit as a result.

Heavenly Father, You have told Your children that it is a privilege, not a chore, to help one another. Help me to look out for those whose burdens are so great, they cannot possibly carry them alone.

By Isabel Wolseley