When I was going through a very difficult time in my life, this scripture meant very much to me - and still means a lot to me today. I was receiving powerful drugs that caused me to lose all my hair and made me very sick. The drugs were being used in the hope to rid me of breast cancer. I lead worship periodically at my church and one particular Sunday, in the midst of this illness, my pastor looked at me and said, “Lisa, is there anything you would like to share with the congregation today?” This was unusual for him to do but I did happen to have something churning in my heart. I had heard a sermon from 50 years ago replayed that previous week and the topic was on being a rope holder.

I looked at the congregation and said, “You have a job to be my rope holders. For you see, I often am so weak and seem to have no strength, no faith in the midst of this trial. I need you to ‘hold’ me in faith until I am at the feet of Jesus, and He speaks to me. Don’t drop me, even if I’m only a few feet from Him. Hold on until I’m at His feet.”

The congregation had already been “holding the rope” the previous 6 weeks since the diagnosis but it seemed an urgent message to me because I now understood the importance in a new way. I knew I had extreme needs and I was so often very weak. It was an exhortation to them to never give up. The people faithfully continued in their rope holding ministry to me and my family by providing meals, helping out in our business, sending encouraging notes and cards, making phone calls, helping to watch my 2 year old daughter, playing card games with me, giving me meaningful Scripture verses, and praying and seeking the Lord on my behalf... and the list goes on. One friend faithfully and often laid hands on me and prayed the prayer of faith. Another fasted every time I went for chemo. The doctors wanted to change the day I received chemo but I refused because I knew my rope holder had every 3rd Tuesday marked on her calendar as a day of fasting on my behalf. I know it was a tremendous sacrifice for her. In fact I’m sure that every act of giving to me was a sacrifice of love by the giver. It’s not an easy task to hold the rope!

Since that day 8 years ago, I have meditated on and wrestled with this thought of being a “rope holder”. I believe it is one of my primary callings in life - next to worshiping the Lord and being a wife and mother.

To be a rope holder is to do whatever you can in the natural and in the spiritual to get someone who is ‘paralyzed’ to the feet of Jesus. Sometimes it may seem crazy what you do. The friends in the Gospel of Mark had to physically tear apart the roof and physically hold and balance their friend as he was lowered through the roof. Just picture this scene... the noise of something scraping and then the crash of the roof and then a person coming down on a mat - tipping this way and that! Jesus must have smiled! In fact, we know He loved the boldness of the friends. The Bible says Jesus’ saw the faith of the friends and then spoke to the paralytic. It had to take faith to make such a BOLD entrance!

We need to contemplate ways in which we can be radical rope holders. Maybe the ‘paralytic’ God has put in your life is someone depressed, addicted, diseased or impoverished...maybe God is putting orphans on your heart, those who are hungry or unable to speak for themselves, or children abused by others. However God is prompting you, I encourage you to be radical in pursuing this calling and doing whatever you can to get them to the feet of Jesus. Don’t let go of the rope! Whatever is necessary in the natural or in the spiritual, do it. Don’t give up! Jesus’ feet could be just inches away.