Vessels For Testimony

Mark 5:19

NKJV

However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.”

The Lord wants to use our stories. Although the miracle performed on this once demon-possessed man is incredible, it was only a stepping stone. When Christ saw this man, He did not simply see someone to set free; He saw a dishonorable vessel to make honorable. An earthen, broken vessel which could be used to pour out heavenly treasure. The evil within the man was only a way to create testimony of the power of God, that others may be saved by the word of his testimony. His brokenness was a means to an end, an end much greater than the man ever could imagine. Everyone knew this man. He was not a stranger to those who lived nearby, for it says earlier that they had often tried to bind him and shackle him, yet he would always break free. No one could hold him, and no one could help him. Only God could see him and have compassion upon him and heal him. How true that is with areas of our lives, with family members, with friends. There are things which nothing but the love of God can touch and heal. We will ask why we go through what we do. We will wonder why our sickness persists, our heart hardened, our situation stagnant, our lives seemingly forgotten. I can only imagine what the man trapped inside a body controlled by a demon named ‘Legion’ could have felt. But, God knew about him. Through the many months or years this man was possessed, God was there with him. God knew of his situation, he knew of his trouble and pain. At Gods perfect time, not his, He sent Jesus to intercept him. We must not lose heart while we wait for God to move in the impossible in our lives. When everything can scream you're trapped, God has engineered a perfect circumstance to display His glory, His love, His control of our life. Through the valleys of hardship, and subsequent mountains we reach as Christ moves powerfully and undeniably in our life, we can then testify of the love of God in a way more powerful than ever. I'm sure as all the people in Decapolis saw this once demon possessed man come and speak of the man who healed Him, they were astounded, confused, possibly even scared. It does say they marveled, but how much of the impact this man's story left upon their hearts we won't know till we reach heaven! God chose this man's broken vessel to make others whole.

Something else to note, this man was so thrilled to have been healed by Christ, so empowered by being upon this mountain, that he begged and pleaded to come with Jesus. He wanted to stay on the mountaintop, but God wanted him to go out to his friends to share what God had done in his life and the mercy he experienced! This is what God calls us all to do, to share with our friends the way God is moving in our lives. Not only does it encourage and lift them up, it helps us to further realize Gods hand in our life. Now surely the man would have been slightly disappointed or resistant to going back to his friends, but it's recorded that he went as soon as Jesus said go. He didn't bicker or fight back or resist. He honored the one who healed him. Let us do the same and honor the one who has healed us by His stripes.