As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
Mark 5:18-20
I struggled to find a passage for this week, but as soon as I saw these verses, it hit me. This man was saved from literally a Legion of demons by Jesus. Jesus performed an amazing act and scared those in the region. They begged Him to leave because they were afraid of His power. The miracle He enacted was awe-inspiring, but that is not the part of the story I want to focus on today. I want to focus on what the man did next. He wanted to go with Christ; he had been saved in a supernatural way, and he thought that going with the Lord was the way he was going to serve. But that wasn't the case: Jesus's plan for his life was a different one. Jesus's plan was for him to stay, and to tell others about his miracle. I can't imagine how the man felt, freed for the first time and wanting to serve God in an amazing way. He saw the disciples with Him and wanted to join along. And then Jesus said no, you need to stay. I've had that feeling before; the feeling of being a new Christian and wanting to be one of the wise Christians serving around the world, and God saying, I need you to stay here. The next part of the story is the one I needed to here: "So the man went away and began...." He did what God instructed to do, hopefully with a happy heart. He served his mission in life. I think that's where a lot of us struggle, knowing we want to go one way, and God is asking us to stay and server where we are.
Let's pray for patience.
Dear God,
I need Your help with my calling in my life. I need to know if You are asking me to leave or to stay. God, I want so desperately to do Your Will, and I have my vision of how I want that to look. I pray that You help me to let that go if that isn't the path. Let me embrace Your calling in my life, and that my calling is my own. My neighbor's calling is not mine, my calling is not his. Help me to embrace it wholeheartedly, because Your ways are so much higher than my ways. I need You to guide me, O God.
It's in Your Soverign name we pray,
Amen