Prayer Practice
Breath Prayer – Take 2-3 minutes today to pray a simple breath prayer. Get somewhere quiet and relaxing. Breathe in deeply, and then breathe out fully. As you breathe in, ask God to fill you with His presence, grace, love, peace, etc. Consider using the list of spiritual fruit in Galatians 5:22-23. As you breathe out, offer to God the things you need Him to take from you – sin, doubt, shame, anxiety, fear, etc. Pray this way for just a few minutes, trusting God to work, and then begin reading today’s Scripture.
DAILY READING
REFLECTION
by Kelsey Bacon
There is a lot going on in this passage; we read several stories of Jesus' ministry, some very radically different stories of how he worked and healed and brought the kingdom. And though each of these stories is very different, I want to look at the last three and draw and common thread.
The first of the three is the story of Jesus casting out demons from a man, and sending those demons into some pigs. The second is the story of a woman who touches Jesus' robe in a crowd and is healed of her illness. The third is the story of Jesus bringing a young girl back to life. In each of these stories, Jesus is healing in very different ways and from very different things. In the first, he is driving out spiritual evil. In the second, he is healing physical wounds. And in the third, he is literally reversing death and returning life to a person. But each of these stories have something in common: they all place importance on the name of the one being healed. And even though we never learn the actual names of any of them, the names that Jesus speaks are vital to the story, to their identity, and to ours.
In the first story, the possessed man has been living with these demons for some time now. We know from other such stories in the Bible that similar people were shunned from the town and were outcast as crazy people. But when Jesus sees this man, he knows that his actions and his words are not who he is. He asks, "what is your name?" And the man doesn't answer with his own name, but the demons answer with theirs. Because Jesus sees who this man truly is, and he sees the dark work that the devil is doing in him. People assumed he had gone insane and didn't want anything to do with him, but Jesus saw the truth. He saw the evil spirits that were wreaking havoc on his child. In this story, the name is important, because it is not the man's true name, and Jesus sees that and Jesus rectifies that. And then the man knows what his God has done for him.
In the second story (which is one of my favorite stories in the entire Bible), a woman who had suffered bleeding for twelve years encounters Jesus. When she reaches out to Jesus, she is so humble that she doesn't even ask him for healing, probably didn't think herself worthy of speaking to him. But she is healed immediately, and when Jesus speaks to her, he calls her "daughter." Imagine this woman who has been in pain and suffering for twelve long years, who has heard many people tell her that she will never heal, who has probably been in poverty due to her condition and maybe even an outcast in her community due to her unclean nature. And now Jesus, the Son of God, looks her in the eyes and calls her "daughter." She now has value, she now has a place, has unconditional love from an unconditional God. Imagine how life-changing that moment was for her, and not just for her bodily healing.
The third story is similar. When Jesus reaches out his hand to lift the little girl out of bed he says, "My child, get up!" This child is no longer just the child of a synagogue leader and his wife. She is the child of the one true King, a daughter of the Savior of the universe, a member of his family. Not only does he bring her back to life but he gives her an identity that is better and more real than any she could ever have.
So as you ponder these stories, pray and ask God, "what do you call me? Who am I in you?" Because our name in Jesus, our identity in him, goes far beyond anything of this world.
2 comments:
Kelsey:
Your article opened my eyes to a better understanding of how Jesus brought each person into the "family of God". Now all of them have a new identity just like all of us who have accepted Jesus' payment of our sin debt and making us heirs of His eternal grace. Thank you for sharing these valuable insights-no doubt inspired by the Holy Spirit.
I hav always loved the story of the demoniac. Jesus leaves, crosses the lake in a violent storm knowing He will only save one most unfortunate man, be rejected by the town folk and then return. A lot of work for one soul. We must be very valuable. Another thought about the town's reaction to Jesus. They ask him to leave. In the case of the Samaratin woman at the well, the town asks Him to stay for a couple of days bringing salvation to many. I am always amazed at how different the reactions to Jesus are in these stories. Obvious miracles right in front of people and yet they condemn Him. We are truly saved by grace.
Thank you for being part of our daily worship and your prayerful insights.
Robin Lorms
Robin, thank you for your kind words! I love to hear how the Holy Spirit inspires and teaches through these daily worship devotions. Your observations and insights into this passage are so true and make me all the more in awe of who Jesus is, and how much we need him. We truly are saved by his amazing grace!
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