Mark 5:18-20, "As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. But Jesus said, 'No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.' So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them."
In Mark 5 we read an interesting story. There was a demon possessed man, and Jesus ended up casting the demons out of him and sending them into a herd of pigs. The pigs ran off the hillside into water and drown. The crowd begged Jesus to go away, but the man who was delivered from being demon possessed begged to go with Jesus.
What I found shocking in this chapter is that Jesus told him no. Instead of letting the man go with Him, Jesus told him to go back to his family and tell them what the Lord did for him.
Why would Jesus tell this man to go back to his family instead of letting him go with Him?
The reason this particular chapter stands out to me is because there was a time in my life where I prayed for God to make me a missionary. I've never even been on a missions trip, but I felt like if God sent me into that ministry, at least I'd have direction and purpose for my life. In my last devotional, I shared one of the difficulties I went through last year. In the middle of my mess, I tried to run. I did my best to run from the pain instead of having to face it. I felt like my life went from having direction to being a blender in a matter of moments, and something inside of me felt like missions would be a good direction.
When I prayed for God to send me to the mission field, God's answer wasn't what I expected to hear.
He gave me Psalm 46:10 as His answer: "Be still, and know that I am God!"
I didn't want to be still. I wanted to go! I desired to do great things for God, and how would I possibly do that here? God laid on my heart how important it is to be a missionary right where I'm at. Sometimes He calls us to the mission field in other nations, yet at other times He calls us to stay put.
All I could think at the time was how much of a mess my life was and how it wasn't going anywhere. What I saw was a part time job and a failed relationship. I wasn't going to college. I wasn't getting married. Then, my answer from God was, "Be still!" What???
How discouraging it felt to ask to be a missionary and be told to be a missionary in my everyday, ordinary, messy life. It felt frustrating at first. However, was this going to remain a disappointment, or was it just the beginning of what God was going to start doing in my life?
There is a ministry that has been on my heart since I was a young teenager. That ministry is pro-life ministry. I never had peace about going about this ministry in an "in your face" way. However, I knew I needed to follow the advice of Proverbs 31:8 which says, "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed." That verse sums up what I felt called to do, but it had to be balanced with Ephesians 4:15: "Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church."
I knew that there was a ministry that had a good balance between being pro-life while still going about this in love. That ministry is the pregnancy center. They are a Christian organization who loves the babies, but they equally love the women who walk through those doors.
At first, I started to be a part of this ministry by crocheting baby outfits for them. Little did I know, though, that God would have me be even more involved in that ministry and become a receptionist volunteer. That story in itself is incredible, but I'll keep to the basics for this time.
As I went through the training for this ministry, God opened my eyes to why He told me to stay put. This is the ministry He has called me to, and it just so happens that California has the most abortion clinics in the United States.
When Jesus told the man He healed that day to go back to his family and tell them what the Lord had done for him, that was his mission field. God didn't tell that man he couldn't go with Him because He didn't have a purpose for the man. Rather, His purpose for that man was to be a missionary right where he was at.
Perhaps you've been called to stay put. I encourage you to not allow that call to discourage you. You may not know right now why God is not sending you to a foreign country, but if He isn't sending you somewhere else, you can be assured He has a purpose for you right where you're at. He will use what's gone on in your life to reach exactly the people He wants to reach through you. There's peace in knowing that.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I remember asking You to make me a full-time missionary. I was ready to travel across the world to have a life that would make a difference for Your Kingdom. Little did I know that the difference You wanted to make through me would be right where I'm at in California. When tempted to get discouraged about the call to be a missionary in my ordinary life, remind me that I serve an extraordinary God Who makes my ordinary life into an extraordinary vessel if I'll surrender to You. Thank You for that. In Jesus' Name.
Amen.
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