An unpopular exorcism

Date: Friday, July 26

Scripture: Acts 16:16-24

Verse: She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. (Acts 16:18)

For the most part, we don’t like change. While many of us complain about our routines, they feel like a warm blanket on a cold night. Knowing our way around our office, our daily commute, and even the layout of our Facebook page brings us comfort. Change in any one of those things is an unsettling disruption. 

Some of us have experienced this in our own lives. We have gone to a counselor to heal from old wounds, break old habits, or simply to be more comfortable in our own skin. We begin to employ some techniques we have learned and start to feel better, when suddenly we are aware our changes are making people around us uncomfortable. They may tell us they don’t like the change, liked the “old you” better, or may even begin to distance themselves from us. 

In today’s scripture lesson, Paul heals a slave girl with a demon. She was functioning, but she was not the complete whole person God had created her to be. So Paul performed an exorcism, casting the demon out of her. One would expect such a healing to be met with praise. Instead, the healers are thrown in jail because the change to the girl is not welcomed by her “owners.” They had been making money off of her “special power,” and the healing has taken that away. 

There are several images of bondage in this passage – the girl is a slave, she is demon-possessed, and eventually Paul and his team end up in a maximum security prison. There is also an image of freedom – the slave girl is freed in the name of Jesus from the demon that had haunted her. It is odd how in this passage, and in our lives as well, many people prefer bondage over freedom because that is what they are used to. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, guide me in your ways of healing and wholeness, and keep me strong even when others want me to go back to the bondage I was used to. Amen. 

Action: Think about your comfortable routines. Are there ones where you are choosing bondage over freedom? 

Respond: Are you excited or frustrated when your favorite website, operating system, or a program you use regularly is updated and changed? Answer by clicking “Leave a Comment” below. If you are receiving this via email, click the title at the top of the email to take you to the devotion webpage where you can leave a comment.