Jesus Himself was teaching.  From every village people had come,
From Judea and from Galilee.  Some came from Jerusalem.
On a stretcher, men had brought in, a man who was paralyzed.
To bring him before the Lord, they would need to improvise.

There seemed no way to bring him in.  The crowd’s size was so great.
They made their way up to the roof.  They did not want to wait.
He was lowered through the roof.  He was placed in front of Christ.
The Christ who came to die for us, and for us sacrifice His life.

When Jesus saw their faith, He told the man, forgiven were his sins.
The Pharisees had never heard, to such a thing akin.
The Pharisees erupted.  They may have become livid.
“Who is this who blasphemes? Who but God can sins forgive?”

Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he put them to a task.
“Which is easier” was the question, which to them He asked.
Is it easier to say that sins have been forgiven?  With them, Christ had this little talk.
He inquired if perhaps it might be easier to just say “rise up and walk.”

But that the Son of Man can sins forgive, that all now might see and know,
He told the man paralyzed, rise, pick up your mat, and home you can go.
The man no longer paralyzed, then did exactly that,
He rose and went home, after he’d picked up his mat.

With astonishment, all were completely seized.
And they gave glory unto God.  His healing helps us to believe.
Jesus, so many loved ones cannot see You in their midst.
And there are other loved ones now swayed You don’t exist.

In spirit they are paralyzed as they lay on unbelieving mats.
We cannot get them into church.  They think they’ve had enough of that.
They cannot comprehend Your ways, or understand Your love.
They don’t see Your blessed plans for them, from heaven above.

We bring them to You Jesus; through the roof, we lower them to You.
We ask You to touch their hearts, heal hearts through and through,
Show to them Your love that’s deeper than the deepest ocean.
Help them, Lord, to trust in You, with humbled devotion.

If the man paralyzed, had faith, this story does not say.
But the men who brought him to You had faith on that glorious day.
Faith of loved ones may be lacking.  This we cannot deny.
Look upon our faith, Lord.  To ourselves we seek to die.

Use the grace of that faith, use all our sacrifices,
To forgive our loved ones’ sins, to wipe out all their vices.
Help them to rise above their sins, as the man rose up to stand,
Help them to pick up their mats, serve You in this foreign land.

Help them find the way to You, no matter where they’ve roamed.
Though their hearts be crippled, help them walk toward their eternal home.
Help them now sweet Jesus.  The hour is running late.
Go to them now, dear Jesus.  Make haste, dear Lord, make haste.

(Based on Mark 2:1-12)