All the authority of God
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place? Psalm 24:3
Read Mark 1:21—28
Jesus came with authority. I cannot read this story without realising that. If the man’s question weasels its way into my mind, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus?’ then I know I am asking an insolent question. And if I am tempted to ask it, to play with it, to somehow creep into this night and its darkness and its privacy, and think I can locate myself in some place Jesus has nothing to do with, then I am degenerating. I am fooling myself. I am harming myself. For not only does Jesus have all authority in heaven and on earth,[1] but his is the authority to put things right, to restore me to God and to my true self.
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden, this night I acknowledge that all authority in my life rests upon Jesus. He looked upon the demon-possessed man and spoke the word that set him free. He restored him to himself. I pray that I may hide nothing from you, that you may command out of my life what you do not want there. I pray that those I know whose lives are bound by darkness may be freed in the name of Jesus. Let me be assured of his authority over me, who has given himself for me. Let me embrace his command. Let me find true freedom in him.
[1]Matthew 28:18