One of my favorite stories in the Bible is found in Matthew 15 where the Gentile woman who has the demon-possessed daughter approaches Jesus, begging Him to deliver her little girl. It’s important to note a few things about this story.
Jesus traveled fifty miles outside of Judea to the countries of Tyre and Sidon for the express purpose of meeting this woman. After he saved her daughter, he went right back to Galilee.
The woman addressed him as “Son of David,” which in those days essentially meant Messiah. In other words, she believed He was the Son of God.
She cried out to him several times and received no answer from Him but silence.
The disciples (an example of us Christians today) were annoyed with her and wanted Jesus to send her away. How often do we do want the same thing for people who bug us?
Jesus finally answered her and basically told her He didn’t come to heal her daughter (she was not a Jew).
Even after this discouraging answer, the woman did not give up. Instead, she cried all the louder and worshiped Him.
Jesus then basically insulted her by saying that compared to the Jewish people, she was like a dog.
Yet even in light of Jesus’ silence, even in light of His discouraging words, even in light of His rebuke, she did not give up. Instead, she humbled herself even further, acknowledging that yes, she was a dog, but didn’t the dogs receive crumbs from their master’s table?
Then, Jesus turned, praised her great faith and delivered her daughter right on the spot!
What can we learn from this? Maybe you’ve been praying for something, and you feel like your prayers are not being heard; or you feel like God is ignoring you or He doesn’t care about you. Maybe you feel like He’s no longer with you; like your sails have no wind, and your ship is coasting with no direction in the spiritual doldrums. Don’t give up. God may be testing you like he was testing this woman. At first glance, it seems as though Jesus is cruel to her, doesn’t it? I believe He was testing her heart. He wanted to know:
Did she really believe He was the Christ?
Did she really believe He could answer her prayer?
Did she really believe God was a good God who loved her?
Was she willing to persevere, to endure insults and rejection?
Was she willing to humble herself before God?
How about you? Do you pass the test? Keep pushing forward. Don’t listen to what others say, and keep your eyes on Jesus. Humble yourself, bow before Him, admit you’re a dog and keep asking.
You may not get exactly what you asked for, but through the process, Jesus will change your heart, change your desires and make them line up with His. Then, He truly will give you the desires of your heart.
Take it from me, a woman who has experienced that very thing!
MaryLu Tyndall