Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret.
Mark 7:24 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, in this secular, politically charged environment where Evangelical Christians – the “Religious Right” – are being viewed some kind of way, I must confess that I sometimes feel like I need to “hide” that I am a Christian. Not deny. Just not throw it out there, flaunt it. It’s more about not wanting to be associated with them versus You.
Yet, this morning, as I read the elaborate requirements You made on the Israelites for unintentional sin in Leviticus 4 & 5 I was reminded of the magnitude of the price You paid for my sins, both intentional and unintentional. And then, as I read this verse, I realized that hide it all I may want to, I cannot keep Your presence in my life a secret. You won’t let it. My heart won’t let it.
So today, I thank You for Your fingerprints on my life. I thank You that those words from that old song ring true in my heart, “I said I wasn’t gonna tell nobody but I couldn’t keep it to myself, what the Lord, what He has done for me.” I thank You for the “rock defying cry out” praise You give me each and every day.
And I pray that You would not allow me to be quiet about it, especially against the backdrop of all my brothers and sisters that I see falling around me. Instead, give me a voice that declares loud and clear that it was for failings like this that You died, reminding me that but by the grace of God there goes I. Compel me to continue to pray for them that You would forgive and cleanse them for the sins I see them committing unintentionally, even as I pray that You would do the same for me when I sin, both unintentionally and intentionally. And most importantly, shine through both of us, that the world might see Your love and glorify You. Amen.