Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; and shouting with a loud voice, he said, “What business do You have with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” For He had already been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he said to Him, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” And he begged Him earnestly not to send them out of the region.
At some point all of us have probably rejected others’ help, even if we desperately needed it. Sometimes we want control, believing we can do the task better on our own; sometimes we feel overwhelmed and don’t know what we need help with; and sometimes we struggle to let people in, no matter how badly we need them.
Jesus’s healing of this possessed man wasn’t a quick fix. We see that Jesus had already spoken, ordering the demon to leave the man. The man bowing before Jesus shows that he recognized someone in a position of authority. Still, Jesus’s help was met first with resistance. Even in distress, the man pushed away the saving and healing work of Christ. The idea seems illogical until we reflect on how we do similar things in our lives.
When we try to hold ourselves up to a standard of works and neglect the grace of God, we resist His help. When we carry worry and fear instead of giving it to our heavenly Father, we push Him away. Accepting help is a hard—it means we must admit our weakness, walk in humility, and trust in His strength. But surrender is always worth it. Allowing Jesus into areas that we grip too tightly will help the situation and heal our souls as we become more dependent on Him. John 15:4-5 says, “Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Even our best efforts cannot save us. We were made to do life with Him, no matter how hard or easy life is. May we turn to Him, accepting His help instead of resisting and pushing Him away and trying to do things on our own.
- What is the difference between living out your faith while depending on God and living out your faith while depending on your own strength?
- Why do you struggle to accept the help of Christ? What matters do you need to surrender to Him?
- Pray and surrender to Christ the matters you’re holding tightly and trying to figure out on your own.
