THE POWER OF THE LORD
MARK 5: 1-20; 8:27 and 9:1
Mark 5:1-20 tells us of a man
possessed of an unclean spirit, a man who could not be tamed, a mentally
tormented man who "night and day, among the tombs and in the mountains, was always crying out and cutting himself with stones." And Jesus said to the unclean spirit, "Come out of the man you unclean spirit!" And Jesus asked the spirit, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion for we are many." And the unclean spirit, (Legion) begged Him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside and they begged Him saying, "Send us to the pigs; let us enter them. The Lord gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea. The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the formerly demon-possessed man, the one who had 'the legion,' sitting there, clothed and in his right mind...and they were afraid." Following a command
from the Word of God, this man was healed.
The man who was healed wanted to go into the boat, where Jesus was stepping but Jesus did not permit this. What Jesus did say was, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how much He has had mercy on you." And he went to proclaim in the Decapolis, how much Jesus had done for him and everyone marveled.
These passages attest to man's
emotional paralysis apart from the power of God; they attest to man's sanity when living in the will of God, near to
the heart of God. Helpless to break the chains that bind,
without the compassion and mercy of our wonderful Lord, without the powerful
intervention of God's hand upon our lives, we are lost and bound and separated
from our Master, Savior, and King.
When we approach the throne of God, in
sweet, sincere abandon and make our requests known unto Him who loves us, a
miraculous change occurs: the winds are stilled ... the waters are calmed
... the turmoil is ceased. The Lord bids us come rest in
Him. Our Gentle Shepherd, He embraces us and teaches us to wait
patiently for His direction. There is a change in our hearts and lives
because Jesus is living in us. Old things are passed and new life in
Christ begins. The believer finds a new and sure way of living, a genuine
communion with God through Christ: he finds forgiveness and peace, a
peace he has never known before. God’s Holy Spirit now resides in him and
he is set free from the chains that have bound him for so long.
Through the renewal of our minds, The
Lord allows us to know that we have been purchased with the costly price of
Jesus’s blood spilled on Calvary. What a privilege to pray and sense His
presence! What a quiet miracle to bow before Him and sense his love
without saying a word. The love of God shatters the dark of night and
leads us into the light of His life. What a gift! Carol Castagna
© 10/2012
..." and the peace that passes
all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus"
(Phil. 4:7). "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is
stayed on Thee." (Isaiah 26:3)... Then He arose and rebuked the wind and
said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great
calm. Mark 4:39
John 1:12 But as many as believed Him, to them gave He power to be
called the Sons of God.
Holy Bible NKJV: Bible verses
Posts
