And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains…When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him…the unclean spirits went out.[1]
Worship loosens the grip of demons over our lives! In our passage it seems clear that the one thing that loosened the grip of the demons in this man’s life was when he worshipped at the feet of Jesus. This man knew that he had no hope, no rescue, no freedom without this man named Jesus. He ran to Jesus! He stumbled, screamed, and with blood flowing down his cut up body, he fell at the feet of Jesus and the word for “worship” used in Greek here is proskuneo. He worshipped at the feet of Jesus.
Until we find the humility in our hearts to run to Jesus, focus on Jesus, proskuneo at the feet of Jesus, pride will welcome the powers of the enemy. Worship is not primarily about singing songs, going to “church,” (by the way you don’t go to church, you are the church), or listening to praise music on the radio. As important as all those things are, worship is focusing on Jesus, gazing at Jesus. David understood worship this way,
One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.[2]
Worship is beholding the face, the beauty, the glory of Jesus in all that we do. Paul understood worship when he gave us, quite possibly, the best definition of worship in the New Testament, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men”[3] In our job, in our marriage, in our singleness, in our schooling, in our recreation, be wholeheartedly doing it for Jesus. This is the kind of worship that loosens the grip of pride and the flesh over our lives.
Today, loosen the grip of greed over your heart, loosen the grip of lust over your mind, loosen the grip of gossip over your mouth, by wholeheartedly running after Jesus in all that you do. Don’t hold back. Don’t waste your day. Today, do it. Today run to Jesus in whatever your hands are doing.
On the Road,
Steve
[1] The New King James Version. 1982 (Mk 5:1–13). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2] The New King James Version. 1982 (Ps 27:4). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[3] The New King James Version. 1982 (Col 3:23). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
