Be Still And Know

Matthew 9:2 Some people brought to him a paralysed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralysed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.” On the face of it, the needs of this man were absolutely clear. He was paralysed and needed Jesus to heal him. But Jesus started somewhere else. He knew that the man’s first need was for forgiveness. He then turned his attention to the man’s paralysis and healed him, and the man jumped up and went home. Our first need is forgiveness too, because what matters before anything else is our relationship with God. Until we have been forgiven, we cannot enjoy the blessings of life with him. However, it is very easy for us to be distracted by other issues. Jesus wasn’t for a moment suggesting that the man’s paralysis was unimportant. It just wasn’t the top priority. When we meet people with financial, addiction, health or relationship difficulties it is very easy for all our attention to focus on that particular need. However, Jesus’ example