GPS Message: Lost Signal
By Pastor Ben

“When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.”            (Psalm 91:15)

It’s your worst nightmare: While driving in an unfamiliar location, the dreaded “Lost Signal” message appears on your navigation system. The GPS signal is lost and so are you. We men don’t like admitting we’re lost. It kills our confidence and forces us to accept defeat. Instead of reaching out for help, we have an internal debate about how to get back on track:

Did I miss a turn five miles back or was it 25 miles? What about my schedule? I can’t be lost now — we have to get home! I’m going to charge ahead.

It’s tough admitting that you’ve lost your way — and that applies to more than just road trips. We can feel so lost when we’ve been blindsided by unemployment. Or when relationships with family members are contentious. Or when we’re stuck in a rut and seem to be okay with it. Life is often one struggle after another and there are no rest stops in sight.

    Mark 2:1-12 tells of a paralyzed man in Capernaum who could likely relate to our feelings of being lost. Scripture doesn’t say, but he likely spent days (maybe weeks & months & years) lost in his thoughts of despair. He probably believed his future went no further than his cot. But one day, things started looking up as four men lowered him down from a roof into the presence of Jesus.

Jesus was preaching the Word in a home and the place was standing room (and one cot) only. Seeing the faith of the paralyzed man’s friends, Jesus addressed the most important issue in the man’s life. Jesus forgave his sins. Miracle #1.

And then, after Jesus addressed the bullying objections of His own enemies, religious leaders lost in the law, Jesus healed the man. Miracle #2.

Both miracles gave the man a leg to stand on as he walked by faith toward his future. If you find yourself lost in sickness, anxiety, or guilt, remember Jesus’ words:

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”        (Luke 19:10)

Jesus will seek you. He will save you. The miraculous sin-forgiving, life-giving, lost-finder Jesus is yours — today and always!

PRAYER STARTER:
Jesus, I need your miracles of forgiveness and healing in so many ways . . .