Joyful Ruins

Luke 8:35-37 New International Version (NIV)

³⁵ and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. ³⁶ Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. ³⁷ Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

I know when I read this passage, I am in awe of Jesus’ power and also annoyed at the people for sending him away.

But I read this today and felt that I couldn’t blame these people for fearing Jesus and His power. Look at what His power had just accomplished. Then, I saw how this could apply to all of us.

We forget how powerful God is so often. I think a lot of time, we forget because we don’t see every day the deaf speaking, the lame walking, the demon-possessed being freed (though all of this can still happen). The Lord is the same as He always has been and is still and always will be all-powerful.

What truck me in this passage was the fear of that power. I know I have been afraid of the Lord’s power myself. The Lord can get me through this move to another state, He calls me to a certain vocation, He can get me through a tragedy. There is something scary about that because your comfortable, you like where you are and when God works, usually we are put into faith testing, uncomfortable situations and that terrifies us.

And it should! But, as my Pastor, Des Wadsworth, says, “The safest place is not to be in the center of God’s will, the BEST place to be is in the center of God’s will.”

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to “send” Jesus away just because I am afraid of his incredible power. I mean look what that incredible power did for the demon-possessed man: changed his life!