We go to church every night here in Mozambique. And by go to church, I mean that every night we walk down the street to a grass house with no electricity, prop a miniature flashlight on the pulpit, and have a 2 hour service of singing, prayer, and a message. When we pray, it’s all out loud, all at once- and it’s literally one of my favorite things in the entire world. Together we pour our hearts out before the Lord, and time is never paid attention to.
This night in particular, as I prayed, I became aware of a heavy darkness in the room. I was asking for discernment on who or where it was coming from, but couldn’t tell. The service continued, and eventually we came to the final prayer time. People came forward to be prayed over, and one by one, my team and I laid hands on them and prayed.
After praying for my friend/ translator, Oscar, I walked toward my plastic chair to sit back down. Suddenly, I hear Oscar saying with urgency, “Jack you must come pray for this man! He has a demon.” My focus moved from Oscar to a man lying on the floor, violently convulsing. I came closer and began praying out loud, and commanding the demon to leave in the Name of Jesus.
The men of the church were holding him back because he was charging at the crowd as we prayed. As we continued to pray, the demon became more violent. The things it was doing through this man were honestly some of the scariest things I’ve seen in my entire life. Eventually it came out, and the man was delivered. But by this point, I was genuinely scared of him.
As we walked back home, my mind was replaying all the images of what I just saw and heard. “Jesus,” I said, “what the heck just happened? The things he was doing were not human.”
Jesus replied, “love him as I have loved you.”
That same night, after the whole ordeal, we were sitting by the fire eating our dinner when I turn around and see Edilson (the man who was delivered). He was sitting outside of the circle, in the dark, eating his dinner alone. And I heard Jesus say “go ask him to sit with you by the fire.”
I said, “um, did you see what I saw tonight? There’s no way I’m gonna ask him to sit next to me.”
As I defiantly sat there, I started thinking about the story of Legion in Luke chapter 8. The Word says that this man, who had been possessed for years, wore no clothes, and lived among the tombs. It says that many times the demons would seize him, and he would be put in chains and shackles until he broke free and was driven alone into the desert.
The account says that when Jesus cast the demons out, the herdsmen nearby ran into town to tell everyone what had happened. When the townspeople reached the scene, they found the man, sitting at the feet of Jesus- clothed, and in his right mind.
Clothed. Sitting at the feet of Jesus.
Jesus didn’t heal the man and then say “whoa, back up- don’t touch me.” He clothed the man, and he spent time with him. Teaching him. Loving him. It says the man went away proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. Because Jesus did more than just cast a demon out of him, He loved him.
Again, Jesus said to me “please. Go ask my boy to sit with you by the fire.”
I looked again at Edilson. I had that same moment the Grinch had when his heart grew 2 more sizes…though it wasn’t as theatrical, my heart broke, and an overflow of unexplainable compassion poured out. I was being offered the opportunity to be the conduit of God’s perfect love toward Edilson. And looking back in retrospect, it was the highest privilege I think I’ve ever had.
I went to him and asked “will you come sit with me?” Of course, he doesn’t understand my English, so I snag Oscar and repeat my question. Surprised, and with a shy smile, he put his plate down, picked up his chair, and placed it next to mine by the fire.
We spent the rest of the night sitting together by the fire, and it was during that time that Jesus began showing me who Edilson was through His eyes: no longer a slave, but a son.
