Scripture Reading: Matthew 15

Have you ever felt like God is ignoring your prayers?  Or when you share your hopes with others, they tell you not to bother God with the request?  Or when God does answer, it’s not really the answer you’re looking for?

Or possibly worst of all, have you ever poured out your heart’s desire, only to be rebuked so sharply that you wished you had never asked at all?

If so, I want to encourage you not to give up on your prayers too quickly.  God may still have something in store for you.

Take a look at a real live woman who came to Jesus with a request in Matthew chapter 15.

This woman must have heard or seen some of the miracles that Jesus had done, for she came pleading to Him to heal her daughter.

She cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” 

But look at what Jesus did next.  The Bible says, “Jesus did not answer a word.” Wow!  Not a word!  This is pretty shocking, considering all that Jesus did for so many people.  Yet it looked like He was just going to ignore the woman completely. But as shocking as that was, look at what Jesus’ disciples did next.  The Bible says,

“So his disciples came to him and urged him, ‘Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.’ ” 

Wow!  As if it weren’t bad enough to be ignored, the ones who claimed to be followers of Jesus came and told her to get lost, too.

So Jesus finally breaks His silence.  But when He does speak, it’s hardly the answer the woman was looking for.  Jesus says,

“I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”  

She was a Canaanite, not a Jew, not one of the “lost sheep of Israel.”  What?  Jesus, of all people?  Not being willing to help someone, regardless of who they were?

Imagine the thoughts that could have gone through her mind, thoughts that might go through our minds too if we were in her situation:  “I should have known better.  I don’t know why I thought Jesus would ever want to help someone like me.  I’m sure He does love some people, but probably not people like me.”  Had the woman given up there, the story might have ended very differently.  But she didn’t.  She persisted in her faith.  She came to Jesus and knelt before Him:

“Lord, help me!” she said. 

Then came what could have been the worst blow of all:  Jesus replied,

“It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”  

I don’t know if Jesus was just testing her faith here, or trying to teach something to the disciples, but whatever the reason, she may have been wishing by this point that she had never asked at all.

But she didn’t.  She had a daughter that she loved, a daughter that desperately needed healing.  She tossed aside whatever feelings she may have had, and held firm in her faith.  She knew she could trust Jesus’ heart.  She knew she could trust His character.  She knew she could trust Jesus to do what’s best.

She replied: “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 

And Jesus honored her persistent faith.

He answered,

“Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. 

Jesus is trustworthy, even when He’s silent.  Jesus is trustworthy, even when others may tell you to go away.  Jesus is trustworthy, even when you may not like the answers.  Jesus is trustworthy, even when your hopes are dashed and you wonder if you should have ever asked at all.

Persist in your faith, especially on behalf of those you love.  As you do, I pray that you’ll eventually hear Jesus say to you, too: “You have great faith!  Your request is granted.”

Prayer: Father, increase my faith so that it persists even in the face of silence, frustration or discouragement, all so that I can see Your will done here on earth.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.