Sometimes when I go to Jesus, he lets things happen that I don’t understand. He doesn’t do things according to my plan, or in a way that makes sense to me. But if Jesus is God, then he’s got to be great enough to have some reasons to let you go through things you can’t understand. His power is unbounded, but so are his wisdom and his love. Nature is indifferent to you, but Jesus is filled with untamable love for you. If you have a God great enough and powerful enough to be mad at because he doesn’t stop your suffering, you also have a God who’s great enough and powerful enough to have reasons that you can’t understand. Is following Jesus safe? Of course it's not safe. Who said anything about being safe? But Jesus is good. He’s the King. In an effort to convey who Jesus is and what He did, Mark, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has rushed into powerful stories that carry cosmic implications to the broken world in which we live. We can all relate to the desperation of the people in today’s text. Nearly 2000 years later, we experience similar brokenness and helplessness. Mark shows all readers that there is One who brings hope, wholeness, and ultimate authority to even the worst of life’s shattered situations. Jesus came back from the far side of the Sea of Galilee, where He restored a demon-possessed man (at the expense of many pigs). Jesus was asked by the terrified residents of the area to leave. As He returned by boat, He was once more surrounded by multitudes that wanted to gain something from being close to Him. The themes in these two stories are that Jesus cares for those in trouble and He can do what is impossible for you and me. Nature, demons, diseases, and even death surrender completely and immediately to His sovereign authority! Do you know anyone who came to Jesus in desperation, convinced He was the only One who could help? Have you ever felt this way? What does the woman’s healing tell us about the role of physicians and the role of faith? Have you ever been frustrated with God’s timing? Have you ever felt He waited until it was too late–but then He came through?