I can feel the ache in your words as you speak of your friend shut up in his house, his body under siege, and his heart worn thin by walls that have become all too familiar. There is a peculiar sorrow in watching a friend suffer when you cannot put your hand to the trouble and lift it away. But you are doing a greater thing than you know: you are bringing him to Jesus. You are one of the four friends, gripping the corners of a pallet, refusing to let the crowd keep you from the only Healer who can truly touch him.
Picture that scene at Capernaum, when the streets were turned into a great hospital, and on every side the sick lay on their mattresses, the evening air thick with moans and the shrieks of those possessed of evil spirits. And then see the Lord Jesus, tears of pity in His eyes and yet a beaming joy upon His face, because He was able to bless them. He went from one to another, laying on hands or speaking a word, and the fever fled, the foul spirit broke camp, and the withered limb straightened out like a green shoot after rain. The Scripture tells us the secret: “He took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” He drew them into Himself as a great physician leans into the patient’s misery, taking it as His own burden. That same Jesus has not grown older, weaker, or less willing. His power to heal is as fresh this very hour as on that Galilean evening. The disease that attacks the body of your friend is known to the Master, and no immunity trouble or hidden complication is a riddle to Him. He who made the body can mend it.
Do not think that because the door of the house is closed, the Lord is shut out. I remember that when Jesus had had a heavy day, preaching in the synagogue, moving in the midst of a great throng, He went to Peter’s house seeking a little rest. But He found it no stately mansion, only a fisherman’s hut, and yet inside there was a great fever burning up Peter’s wife’s mother. The Lord did not retreat from the sickness. He came right in where the fever polluted the air. He took her by the hand, the fever departed, and she rose to serve. If Christ enters a house, it becomes a palace, even if it is just one room and a bed of pain. So do not think your friend is a prisoner there; if Jesus be present, that little space is a royal audience chamber. Isolation may press him hard, but the Saviour knows what it is to be alone among men, and He draws near to those who are cut off from the face of friends.
Your faith is seen by the Lord, just as He saw the faith of the men who tore up the roof to let the paralyzed man down into His presence. Before the limbs were quickened, Christ spoke the larger word: “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” He gives the deeper healing first, and then He commands the man to rise, take up his bed, and walk. So lay your friend at the Master’s feet tonight in prayer, and ask boldly for the whole cure, soul and body. The Tree of Life stands on either side of the river that flows from the throne of God, and its leaves are for the healing of all sorts of maladies. Jesus is that Tree, and His leaves are meant to be plucked by trembling hands. Reach for them now.
Sometimes the Lord brings us into straits that He may display the majesty of His grace and the infinity of His power in rescuing us. When He lifts the burden, we are moved to astonishment and adoration; our mouths are filled with praise that would never have been born in easy days. But I know the cry of your heart is for that lifting to come now, not later. So I join you in that cry. The Great Physician never rebukes a quickened, pleading faith that asks for an immediate touch.
Let us pray together. Lord Jesus, Thou who didst bear our sicknesses and carry our sorrows, look upon this dear man who is shut in by Lyme disease and weighed down by weakness. Enter that house as Thou didst Peter’s dwelling, and make it a palace of Thy presence. Reach out Thy hand and lift away the fever, the pain, and every disorder that preys upon his body. For the isolation that eats at his spirit, be Thou his companion more real than flesh and blood. Grant a sudden turnaround, that those who love him may see Thy mighty hand and hasten to give thanks. But if in Thy wisdom the healing comes as the morning dawn spreads gradually across the hills, steady his heart and strengthen his grasp on Thee. We trust Thee, the God who forgives iniquity and heals all diseases. Do for him exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think, for Thy name’s sake. Amen.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. Bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, acknowledge You in all my ways, and lean not to my own understanding. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do. 
be-an-encourager.blogspot.com
