Mark 2:1-5
And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

Sometimes, or maybe most times, faith is not in word, but in deed. These men came to Jesus, but there is no conversation recorded here. They had a great need, but they didn’t have the opportunity to express it. They wanted something from Jesus and came seeking, but they never made a request. There was no interaction, but Jesus granted forgiveness. Why? Because He saw their faith. It was demonstrated in their actions. They knew Jesus could heal their friend, and they were going to get to Him through any means necessary, even breaking through the roof of someone else’s house.

Honestly, we can all talk a good talk at times. We are often masters of self-deception. In this same scene are some religious people sitting by observing these things and inwardly doubting and questioning. They were people who talked a good talk of piety and faith. They may have appeared to be righteous, but maybe their actions didn’t align with that. They could say they believed God, but here they were denying God in the flesh right in front of them. So their actions actually showed a lack of faith instead.

Thankfully, we can be confident that God knows our hearts. He knows our faith. He knows when we are trusting in Him. He knows our greatest need even if we aren’t quite aware of it ourselves. Notice that Jesus forgave this man’s sins before He ever healed his physical ailment. His friends may have brought him there because he was sick of the palsy, but Jesus offered Him salvation, too. Jesus will honor the faith that we demonstrate in our lives, as well. He will forgive our sins. He will work out His will. He will bless us for trusting Him with whatever struggle we are facing as we bring our needs before Him and lay them at His feet.