“She said, Yes, Lord, yet even the little pups eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered her, O woman, great is your faith! . . . And her daughter was cured from that moment.”
— Matthew 15:27 – 28 (AMP)
Girls who give up if they don’t get what they want right away can’t expect a lot of success in anything, really. On the other hand, everyone admires a girl with persistence, who keeps going even when the path is difficult.
Jesus met a woman like that. She was a bold, Canaanite mother with four strikes against her: she was a pagan, a foreigner, a woman alone pestering a group of male strangers (and not in her inside voice, for sure), and she had a demon-possessed daughter whom she insisted Jesus heal.
Jesus’ answer? “[He] didn’t say a word to her” (Matthew 15:23 TEV). It was as though he wanted more from this woman and knew his silence would bring it out. And when he did speak and seemed to say “no,” she didn’t walk away angry or depressed. She did the opposite: “she came and, kneeling, worshipped him and kept praying, ‘Lord help me!’ ” (Matthew 15:25 AMP).
What about us? Are we willing to be that persistent? To keep praying and knocking on God’s door, boldly asking his help? If we are, our Lord will surely take care of our needs. BTW, Jesus doesn’t mind if we pester him; in fact, he kind of likes it.
More To Explore: Luke 18:1 – 8
Girl Talk: Have you ever been persistent in prayer? What for?
God Talk: “Jesus, sometimes when I pray, and the answer doesn’t come quickly enough, I lose heart. Help me to trust you and keep praying. Amen.”
From Whatever: Livin’ the True, Noble, Totally Excellent Life by Allia Zobel Nolan