Learn to Declare!

Reading afresh Mark's Gospel I am struck at how many times Jesus spoke directly to impure spirits, to sickness conditions, and to people afflicted with conditions (even when the affliction was being dead!). Just a few examples in the first 5 chapters are:

• 1:25 commanding the impure spirit to come out
• 1:42 commanding the man afflicted with a skin condition to 'be clean'
• 3:5 directing the man to 'stretch out his hand'
• 5:41 commanding the dead girl to 'get up'
  

The phrases recorded in the gospels are direct, sharp, and to the point. They are not couched in 'ifs', 'buts' or other hedging your bets type expressions! This is Jesus commanding specific action in the physical. I assume (and this is my own theological speculation) that he did this knowing the spiritual-physical connections, and that as he uttered the words I presume he implied a corresponding change in the spiritual that would sit behind the physical outcome.

But regardless of how the spiritual & physical interact (it is hard for us to be sure on such matters), it is worth us learning from these examples! Often our prayers are less direct, filled with 'ifs' and 'maybes'. Can we learn when a direct approach is appropriate, and learn to use direct language in those circumstances?

Certainly with the impure spirits there is surely no argument in the matter. An impure spirit afflicting someone is plain wrong - full stop. It is not Kingdom, not in any way aligned with God's will. So anything less than direct words in these circumstances would actually be inappropriate.

Can we learn to do similar with other clearly discernable situations? I.e. circumstances where there is clear evil action or ongoing oppression that any of us can know is plain wrong, and cannot be squared with God's Kingdom. In those cases can we imagine positive next steps and declare those in our prayers with clear, direct, even commanding language?

If we are to follow Jesus, to learn to do as He did, surely our own prayer life and action should incorporate this style for which we see in the life of Jesus many examples.