THE OBSTACLES WE FACE | Northstar Church

“And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity[b]— 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” – Acts 2:44-47.

Many times, we face challenges in life, and we give in instead of persevering. In Mark 2, we have the story of a paraplegic man who desires to be healed, but he has some obstacles to overcome before he can get healed. He enlists the aid of four men who made an almost impossible task possible through perseverance, faith, and a pretty bold, creative approach. The innovative approach was cutting a hole in the roof of someone’s house. The house’s owner was probably not happy that his residence suddenly had a large sunroof.

The Bible says there were four men. You could assume they were friends because their actions would suggest they had a special relationship with this paralytic. Otherwise, why would they serve as stretcher bearers to get this man to Jesus for healing? They couldn’t get close to Jesus because of the crowds, so they dug a hole in the roof. It was an obstacle, but one they overcame by thinking outside the box.

The houses had flat roofs of wood planks covered with branches, thatch, and mud. A ladder accessed them. The stretcher-bearers carried the paralytic up the ladder, dug through the roof, and lowered the paralytic at Jesus’ feet. They were determined to get him to Jesus. The presence of the crowd did not stop them. The potential anger of the homeowner could not stop them. The possibility of rebuke from Jesus did not stop them. Their friend had a need only Jesus could meet. They had to get him to Jesus regardless of the obstacles.

Obstacles are a fact of life that does not change when one becomes a Christian. An obstacle is anything that stands in our way of accomplishing God’s purposes, both for us, in us, and through us. Obstacles can be personal, originating from within us, or external, originating from the world and people around us. Whenever we face obstacles or any difficult situation or circumstance, it is important we remember that what is huge to us is no problem for God. We must remember that “God can do immeasurably more than all we can ask or think” and that “nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We can survive the obstacles even when life is hard. Of course, we can throw in the towel and never attempt anything—but God expects us to take control of our lives and trust Him. It can be hard to implement, but all negative experiences are opportunities to learn from and make us better spiritually. The four men looked at the situation and realized that to help their friend, they needed to go the extra step and do something they may not have wanted to do. They realized that to rise above and out of their current situations, they would need to develop a “whatever it takes” attitude and let nothing get in their way or deter their pursuit of success of getting their paralyzed friend to Jesus.

Discussion Questions:

Obstacles can make us bitter or better. Do you naturally gravitate towards getting bitter or better when encountering challenges?
What can you do to leverage those struggles to make you better?