Request Granted

Recently while reading in the book of Matthew, a scripture jumped off the page and grabbed my attention. I thought I'd share my insight and thoughts with you today.

Matthew 8 contains familiar passages. One passage that has always grabbed my imagination is the story of Jesus casting the demons into the swine that is found in verses 28-34. I can see the delivered man finally experiencing peace. The screaming of the pigs as they plunge into the water below fills my ears followed by the successive splashes their bodies create. I can feel the breeze coming from the water and can see the gentle smile Jesus gives the freed man who is certainly offering thanks and praise to the One who brought him what he had hoped for so long.

Then the story becomes a little confusing. The story of Jesus casting out the demons spreads into the town and the people come to the cliffs. When they see Jesus, they ask Him to leave their region (v.34). Really? Why in the world would they do that? I've always been confused by this statement and tried to figure out their response. What I discovered is that what I needed to notice was Jesus' response.

Matthew 9 opens with a very sad verse of scripture: "Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town." (NIV) The crowds on the cliffs asked Jesus to go away and He did just that! He quietly stepped into a boat and granted their request. He didn't compel them to reconsider their words. He didn't attempt to show them the error of their ways. They had made a decision, asked the Savior to leave, and He gave them what they asked for. The Peace-giving Deliverer of the captives left their midst and headed to those who would receive Him (see Matthew 9:8).

We can't understand the crowd's response, but we're guilty of the same thing. We've told Jesus to leave us alone because we're not ready to deal with our own sinfulness. We've seen the power of God and asked Him to leave when His works made us uncomfortable. When His plans conflicted with those we have created, we've asked Him to leave and come again later. We've done this in our personal lives, our churches, our communities, and our nation. We've asked Jesus to leave the various regions of our life and He has complied. No wonder our world is in shambles.

Did Jesus return to the region of the Gadarenes? I don't know (but I'm looking for the answer as I read through Matthew). However, we do know that Christ will not force His way into our lives, churches, or communities once He's been expelled unless He is invited to return. At first this seems like a hopeless situation. I was so thankful in my quiet time when the Spirit brought another passage of Scripture to my mind that offered hope:

Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up. (James 4:8-10,NIV)

The promise is clear. If we have found ourselves separated from God through our own request that He leave the region of our life, we can invite Him to return by drawing near to Him! His return does not begin with the church's response or anyone else. It begins with me! I simply determine that I need Him more than anything else and begin to bring myself closer to God through prayer, reading of the Word, and meditation. He promises to meet me there! My past choices don't sentence me to the absence of God's presence forever....and neither do yours!

I'm tired of living in the region of the Gadarenes without the active presence of God in my life. It's time to repent, draw close, and invite Him to once again move as He wills in my life. That's where restoration will begin. If you're missing the closeness of the Spirit of God, it all begins with a simple invitation to return.

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