I once was deaf but now I hear

Mark 7:31-37~

Do you remember the story about the demon-possessed man? Jesus cast out the demons that were in him and send them into a pig herd and the pigs ran off a cliff-all 2,000 of them-and they drowned in the sea. The freed man wanted to travel with Jesus but Jesus told him to go back home and tell about the great things that He had done for him. So, he went to Decapolis and told everyone about what Jesus had done. (Mark 5:1-20)

It wasn't that long afterwards that Jesus Himself went through the region of Decapolis. The people had most likely heard the testimony of the once demon-possessed man so when they heard that Jesus was among them, they came out to meet Him. Some of them brought to Him one who was deaf and had a speech impediment. "Jesus, please put Your hand on him and he will be made whole!" they begged.

So Jesus took him away from the noisy crowd and put His fingers in his ears. He spat and touched the man's tongue with the life from His own mouth. Then, looking up to heaven He sighed, and said to the man, "Be opened." Immediately, he could hear and he could speak plainly as well, which is quite a miracle, since he hadn't been able to hear how words should be pronounced.

Jesus told them to tell no one about this but the more He told them, the more they told about it. They were so astonished. They said, "He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

I am not sure why Jesus told the once demon-possessed man to tell about his miracle and why He told the once deaf-mute person to be quiet about his. He had His reasons and I am sure they were good ones.

You know what I love about this story? I love that the first words this man heard were "Be opened." I love that the first voice he heard was Christ's. I love that Jesus pulled him away from the crowd so that there would be no question as to what was said or who said it. I love that Jesus considered that the noise of the crowd would be too overwhelming to ears newly born.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh Jesus,
take me away from the crowd and touch my ears
and speak Your words of healing.

Unstop the bias in my hearing
so I may hear Your Words as if for the first time.

May the first voice I hear be Yours.

Touch my tongue with life from Your lips
so it will be loosed to speak the Words
I hear from Your Word and from Your Spirit.

Grant me wisdom and help me obey
when You tell me to speak out Your wonders
and when You tell me to be silent and be still.