5 August 2015 - woman, great is your faith

Just like the children of Israel we sometimes face opposition. The challenges of life appear as "huge, veritable giants" and we feel "like mere grasshoppers". This is all the more disconcerting to us when we are trying to follow the LORD's plans for us. When we are trying to possess the land flowing with milk and honey which God wants to give us and we encounter such opposition it can be especially hard to face. For some reason, we expect smooth sailing when we follow God. Or at least, we expect it to be smoother than other options. Yet this seems like the hardest possible path. This land seems like it "consumes its inhabitants". Do we act like Israel, who "broke out with loud cries" and wailed even in the night? Or do we trust in God? Do we remember all that he did to bring us out of Egypt?

Most of us aren't facing literal armies. But the Canaanite woman probably feels overwhelmed too. Her daughter is tormented by a demon. The disciples ask Jesus to send her away. Jesus himself says he isn't there for her. He tells her that the banquet he sets is for Israel and not for the puppies who smell the food on the table. But unlike the children of Israel in the Old Testament none of this makes her faith waver. She doesn't break out in loud cries or wail. Instead, she persists in trust that Jesus can and will help her.

She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters.”
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
“O woman, great is your faith!

Imagine if the children of Israel had persisted in faith. How much shorter their journey might have been! We need to remember who Jesus is and trust him even in the face of overwhelming opposition.

They forgot the God who had saved them,
who had done great deeds in Egypt,
Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham,
terrible things at the Red Sea.

If we are asking Jesus for something and he seems to be saying no it might be that it is a test to see if we persist in pursuing what he does in fact want us to have. If he inspires the desire we may still encounter opposition but he himself is stronger than any opposition we face. We can save ourselves a lot of time in the desert if we just consider his wonders, remember his works, and wait for his counsel. If we don't let circumstances shake us from the truth of who he is then his plans for us will proceed unhindered.

Let it be done for you as you wish.”
And her daughter was healed from that hour.