Mark 2:1-12

Be Still: In this quiet moment, Lord, I look to you. Quiet my mind and calm my heart. Let your presence fill this space and your Spirit shape my thoughts. Amen

Read: Mark 2:1-12

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralysed man, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.' (v5)

Encounter: The Kingdom Forgives. 

It’s a packed house. Jesus is teaching, and the crowd is so dense that no-one else can squeeze inside. Four friends arrive, carrying a man who can’t walk. But they don’t give up. They climb the roof, tear it open, and lower him down gently. It’s messy, but their faith is clear.

Jesus doesn’t just see the physical need – he sees the trust it took to bring him. 'When Jesus saw their faith…' He turns to the man and says, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.'

Before Jesus heals the outside, he restores what’s broken on the inside. He speaks forgiveness – free, unearned, and total. He calls the man 'Son' (not stranger or sinner) a name that carries love and belonging. Forgiveness comes first because grace moves before fixing.

That reflects something I experienced years ago while living with chronic fatigue. The days were draining, filled with fog and frustration. I wondered if I was forgotten.  And then one day God spoke words that sank deep:

'You wouldn’t even take your next breath if I didn’t allow it.'

It wasn’t stern; it was tender, full of kindness. It reminded me that every breath is held by grace. Not long after, healing came. But it was so much more than physical healing, though I needed that. It was about fixing my identity. Somewhere along the line, I’d drifted from relying on Jesus, into trying to prove myself through doing. God reminded me: You’re mine, not because of what you do, but because I love you.

In that moment, I received his forgiveness – not just for doubting, but for taking over. For striving without surrender. For forgetting that grace carries, even when we feel we’re the ones doing the lifting.

Apply: Many people feel stuck – by guilt, exhaustion, or quiet fear. Sometimes, all it takes is a gentle word to help someone remember: you’re forgiven; you’re God’s child; you’re not alone.

This week, offer that grace – to someone else or to yourself

Devote: Jesus, thank you for meeting us in our weakness – not with judgment, but with mercy. Thank you for forgiving, and for restoring what striving and fear have worn thin.