Do you think God responds when we beg? I’m talking about the “like our life depends on it” kind of begging and pleading. Like the kid in the grocery cart who desperately wants a candy bar at the check-out counter. “Please, please, please, please!”

Or do you think God desires prayers that are more respectful? More like a well-mannered child would make. “Father, if you think it would be best, may I please have a little candy?”

According to the story in Mark 5, Jesus responds to begging. Read it here.

Jesus has just crossed the lake with His disciples. When He steps out of the boat, a man possessed by demons comes to meet Him. The evil spirits plead with Jesus not to torture them.

When Jesus asks the demon’s name, the man replies, “My name is Legion for we are many.”

By the way, the numbers can vary, but during this time, a legion of soldiers typically consisted of 6,826 men.

The legion of demons begin to beg Jesus not to sound them out of that region. They ask Him to send them into a herd of 2,000 pigs. Jesus grants their request. Immediately, the herd of pigs rushes off a cliff and all drown.

As a result, people in the area heard what happened and came out to see. When they saw Jesus, they pleaded with Him to leave their region. The Greek word for pleaded here is the same word used for begging.

Jesus doesn’t argue with them. He leaves. As He’s getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by Legion begs to go with Him. Jesus doesn’t let him though. He tells him to go home to his family and tell them what He’d done for him.

The demons beg to stay in the region. The people beg Jesus to leave. They both get their requests.

The man begs to go with Jesus, but he’s told no. Jesus has a mission for him. He’s to stay in that region to spread the word about what Jesus had done.

Seems that region was in desperate need of the truth.

So what do you think? Does God respond to begging?

Seems like He does, at least in some cases. So go ahead and beg. Just beg for the right thing. You might get it. And also, if you beg and God says “no,” trust that He’s got a more important mission for you.