What has he done for you?

"Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."
Mark 5:19

After Jesus healed the demon-possessed man by sending the demons into a herd of pigs, the man begged to go with Jesus.

But Jesus insisted that the man go home instead, and spread the good news about the Lord’s power and his compassion.

Help me do that, too, Lord…let me tell how much  you’ve done for me, and tell of your mercy on me.

What has the Lord done for me?
Besides saving my soul (as if that’s not enough, even if he never did anything else), lately he’s been prodding me to seek a deeper level of contentment in him.

But the first step has been making me more aware of my discontentedness. Not so pretty.

He’s using the words of a Puritan (go figure) to help me see new light in old scriptures, and to root out some sinful attitudes. He’s also using the lives of others with this same goal towards contentment via the book study group at Challies.com.

How has the Lord had mercy on me?
One way is through solitude. While it’s not a need for many, having times of aloneness is hugely important to my psyche. The Lord knows that. (And he knows my wants usually outstrip my needs...oh, wait, I’m straying back to discontentedness).

So I notice that whenever I start getting antsy from being around people too much, the Lord sends me a pocket of solitude. Ahhh. And he restores my soul in it. In his mercy, he cuts me slack.

While I beg for his power to strengthen me through trials, I also crave his mercy when I am tired and weak.

He knows when to give each. He’s perfect.

So like the demon-possessed man, I’m telling it, too — the Lord has done much for me and he has had great mercy on me. Will you spread the news, too?