They came to the other side of the sea, into the region of the Gerasenes. When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him. He lived among the tombs; and no one was able to bind him anymore, not even with a chain, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces; and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and cutting himself with stones.

Have you ever looked at something and thought it was too far gone? Whether it is a challenge we must face or a problem we want to solve, some things seem too difficult. We can’t see a way forward, so we give up before we begin, tossing it into the category labeled lost cause.

Sometimes we can even apply this to people. We see all the chaos and sin in their lives, and we don’t understand how they could ever change. This man Jesus met was violent, self-destructive, vengeful, and outright terrifying. He had been cast aside into the tombs because he was considered a lost cause and a menace to society. Jesus saw the problems that were evident to everyone else, but He didn’t only see the problems. Jesus also saw this man as an image bearer and moved toward Him with love when everyone else ran away from him in fear. Jesus did not cast this man aside as a lost cause because of what he had done but met him where he was as an image bearer with value and significance.

Some people have hurt us beyond repair. We can see their self-destructive habits of addiction or pride, and we might be tempted to give up on them. But even in all the brokenness, our Savior does not see them as a lost cause. Christ can redeem all who call on His name. He has the power to heal anyone. We do not have the power to fix people with our advice or even service to them, but we look to a God who knows their value and can work in their hearts. We can continue to pray for God’s redemption—even for those we want to give up on. Our God has the power to heal the most broken people.

• Who in your life feels too far gone? Do you trust that God is big enough to work in their lives?
• What makes it difficult to pray for those who feel like a lost cause?
• Pray for someone who has hurt you to come to know Jesus and true healing in Him.