Friday, December 12, 2025
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Mark 5-6
- Secondary Reading: Psalms 143
Key Verse
Mark 6:7 — “And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;”
Devotional Thought
Across the Sea of Galilee, in the country of the Gadarenes, a man lived among the tombs, so violent and tormented that no chain could hold him. Night and day he cried out in the mountains, cutting himself with stones. Yet the moment he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped. Legion was his name, for many devils dwelt in him, and at a word from Christ they fled into a herd of two thousand swine that rushed down the steep place into the sea. The townspeople came out and found the man sitting, clothed, and in his right mind—and instead of rejoicing, they begged Jesus to depart from their coasts. How strange, and how telling, that men will cling to swine rather than welcome the One who sets captives free.
Yet the same Jesus who cast out Legion also honored the quiet touch of a woman who had suffered an issue of blood twelve years. She had spent all she had on physicians and only grown worse, but she said within herself, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up. To Jairus, whose daughter lay at the point of death and then died before Jesus could arrive, He spoke the words that steady every trembling heart: Be not afraid, only believe. He took the damsel by the hand and said, Talitha cumi—Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. She arose and walked. Then, in His own country, the carpenter’s son was met with unbelief, and He could there do no mighty work, save that He laid His hands upon a few sick folk. Even so, He sent the twelve out two by two, and when five thousand sat down on the green grass, He blessed five loaves and two fishes, and all did eat and were filled.
In these dark December days, when the year’s light is short and the nights are long, we may feel we dwell among the tombs—bound by habits no chain of resolve can break, or wearied by a slow affliction that has drained our strength and our purse. Perhaps, like Jairus, we have received news that seems final: Thy daughter is dead; why troublest thou the Master any further? But the Master is not troubled by our impossibilities. The same Christ who crossed the sea to reach one tormented man, who felt virtue go out of Him at the touch of one timid woman, who raised a dead child by the hand, sees us toiling in rowing when the wind is contrary, and comes walking upon the sea, saying, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. He is not far off. He is near enough to touch, and He has never yet turned away a soul that fled to Him for hiding.
Reflection
- The Gadarenes asked Jesus to leave because His deliverance cost them their swine—what comforts or possessions might you be clutching that make you resist His work in your life?
- The woman with the issue of blood pressed through the crowd to touch only the hem of His garment, while the disciples saw only a throng—are you reaching for Him in faith, or merely brushing past Him in the crowd?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, Son of the Most High God, we come to Thee as the woman came, trembling but believing, and as Jairus came, pleading for one we love. We confess that we have sometimes dwelt among the tombs, bound by that which we could not break, and Thou alone hast power over every unclean spirit. Speak Thy word over us this day: Be not afraid, only believe. Touch us, and let virtue go out from Thee to heal what is diseased in us. When the night is long and the wind contrary, come walking upon the waters of our fear and say, It is I. Teach us to do Thy will, for Thou art our God; quicken us for Thy name’s sake, and lead us into the land of uprightness, that we may go home and tell what great things the Lord hath done for us. Amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 143:1 — “Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.”