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Healing The Paralytic Prayer

A short, Scripture-shaped bible story prayer for an ordinary moment of Christian faith.

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The prayer

A prayer to pray now

Father, four friends carried a man who could not walk. The house was too full. The door was blocked. So they went up on the roof and cut a hole and lowered him down on a mat right in front of You. You saw their faith. You forgave the man's sins. You healed his legs. Make me one of those friends for somebody in my church. I do not want to stop when the easy way is blocked. Send me to the next person I know who cannot get to You alone. Help me carry them to Christ on a mat. And if I have to cut a hole in the roof to do it, then cut a hole in the roof. Amen.

How to pray it

  1. Read it slowly. Move through this prayer one line at a time, out loud if you can, letting each phrase land before the next.
  2. Make it personal. Pause where a line meets your day and name the person, fear, or hope it touches before God.
  3. Carry it with you. Keep one sentence with you — on your phone or in your pocket — and return to it when the day gets loud.

Verses to pray

Pray these slowly, one line at a time. Scripture quoted from a public-domain translation.

  1. When they could not come near to him for the crowd, they removed the roof where he was. When they had broken it up, they let down the mat that the paralytic was lying on.
    Mark 2:4
  2. Not finding a way to bring him in because of the multitude, they went up to the housetop and let him down through the tiles with his cot into the middle before Jesus.
    Luke 5:19

Questions about this prayer

When should I pray healing the paralytic prayer?

Pray it whenever the words fit your moment — at the start of the day, in a hard stretch, or when you simply want to turn toward God.

Which Bible verses anchor this prayer?

This prayer is anchored in Mark 2:4, Luke 5:19. The "Verses to pray" section above quotes them in full.

Can I save or share this prayer?

Yes. Use the Copy prayer button to copy the words, or open the Chosen Portion app to keep a daily prayer, devotional, and Scripture with you.