A Man Ruled By Evil

Long ago in ancient Israel,
In the land of the Gerasenes,
Lived a man ruled by evil immaterial;
He smashed every chain placed on him to smithereens.

This sorry fellow dwelled among the tombs,
Where in misery he’d rant and rave.
In him we see how sin consumes,
And makes all, to death, a slave.

No one around could help him;
Any that drew near, he attacked.
The future for him indeed looked grim;
He was possessed by demonic forces pitch black.

Then one day as he wept and wailed,
Gashing himself and drawing blood,
The darkness in him was assailed,
As the Light came to him in the mud.

Jesus the Christ, God incarnate,
Sailed to him across a stormy sea.
The man ran and said, “Do not torment;
Son of God, what have you to do with me?”.

Jesus demanded his dark masters’ name,
To which they replied, “We are legion.”
Undeterred, Jesus then did proclaim,
“Come out of him; go to the swine of this region.”

Then the pig herd ran into the water,
And the townspeople begged Jesus to leave.
Though they saw that over evil He is stronger,
They couldn’t, a greater good than earthly riches, perceive.

But not so, the man Jesus freed;
He begged for the exact opposite,
Saying, “Lord, I will follow; You lead.
As Lord and God, to You, I submit.”

Jesus then accepted him as disciple,
But did not bring him along on the road.
Instead He gave the man a task vital;
To stay home and tell of the grace to him shown.

Faithfully, this, the man obediently did.
He told all of Jesus, his Lord.
The light of Christ in him was not hid;
Through his lips the truth of God poured.

Do you identify with this man I wonder?
Are you weighed down, oppressed or enslaved?
I tell you truly, no matter what you are under,
By the power of Jesus you can be saved.

Saved not only from torment,
But also for glory and to be a blessing.
To save us from sin and death God’s Son was sent;
Trust Him and you’ll, this same joy, be professing.