1 Kings 3:9
King James Version (KJV)
9 Give therefore thy servant
an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and
bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
In Philip Yancey’s What’s
So Amazing about Grace? a story is told of a whore who sold her
two-year-old child to be abused. She felt extreme remorse and came and saw the
pastor. During the conversation he asked if she had come to church. With horror
the woman said that at church they would just make her feel worse. This story
was mentioned in our liturgy, and the cogent question asked what the
implications are for our church.
Before the COVID-19 kept us locked up at home,a mentally disturbed woman showed up to church
very early in the morning. Apparently she was argumentative and ready for a
fight with anyone who approached her or wished to expel her. A pastor came and
warned us about her. He specifically spoke to Sylvia because she takes a loving
interest in the downtrodden of society. Someone had called the cops, and two
cruisers were parked outside the church when we left.
Thinking back over stories of very troubled people in the
Bible, I was drawn to the demon possessed man in the very first chapter of
Mark. He came into the synagogue at Capernaum where Christ found him. Although
the demoniac’s words were loud and offensive and indeed disturbed the worship
service, Christ recognized that the man was actually seeking help. He commanded
the demons to come out of him, and they did. ,[ii]
The way I saw it, and here is where I desperately need the
understanding that Solomon prayed for, this poor woman may have been seeking
help to rid her of her demons. If the woman was simply handed over to the cops,
and I believe she was, we were simply returning her forcefully to the demons that
possessed her. What, indeed, are the implications to our church in this
situation?
Lord, give me the
understanding and wisdom to recognize evil and meet it in the power and love of
Christ.
[i]
https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/nintchdbpict0002874504771.jpg?w=827&strip=all
[ii] Ellen White, DA 255f: The mind of this wretched sufferer had been darkened by Satan, but
in the Saviour’s presence a ray of light had pierced the gloom. He was roused
to long for freedom from Satan’s control; but the demon resisted the power of
Christ. When the man tried to appeal to Jesus for help, the evil spirit put
words into his mouth, and he cried out in an agony of fear. The demoniac
partially comprehended that he was in the presence of One who could set him
free; but when he tried to come within reach of that mighty hand, another’s
will held him, another’s words found utterance through him. The conflict
between the power of Satan and his own desire for freedom was terrible. {DA 255.4}
He who had conquered Satan in the wilderness of temptation was
again brought face to face with His enemy. The demon exerted all his power to
retain control of his victim. To lose ground here would be to give Jesus a
victory. It seemed that the tortured man must lose his life in the struggle
with the foe that had been the ruin of his manhood. But the Saviour spoke with
authority, and set the captive free. The man who had been possessed stood
before the wondering people happy in the freedom of self-possession. Even the
demon had testified to the divine power of the Saviour.
How do we know the difference between a mental illness and demon possession. Are they different? Are they the same? Are they an intermixing of the two? Or could it be a combination of any or all of the above at different times for different people? Wisdom to Discern is needed for sure and maybe even a certain amount of education on the subject.
ReplyDelete