Wednesday, August 8, 2018

8 August 2018 - faith that attains



Our prayers don't always receive an immediate answer.

"Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon."
But he did not say a word in answer to her.

Others around us tell us to stop wasting our time. They tell us that Jesus isn't interested in our particular problem.

His disciples came and asked him,
"Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us."

Jesus himself may not just give what us what we ask the first moment we ask it.

He said in reply,
"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

We often give up at this point. We asked. He didn't respond. End of story. Or is it?

But the woman came and did him homage, saying, "Lord, help me."

And again we might not receive the answer for which we hope.

He said in reply,
"It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs."

So now, certainly, it's a lost cause. Or is it?

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!
Let it be done for you as you wish."

The LORD draws from this woman both faith and profound humility. She does not insist because she feels something is owed to her. She insists because of the generosity of the one holding the feast. She knows there is food enough for her. She believes in spite of herself that Jesus is willing to share this food. 

And her daughter was healed from that hour.

Jesus is more likely to test our faith when we ask for things that really matter to us. Let us practice asking in faith in all circumstances large and small so that we grow accustomed to doing so. We learn that Jesus responds to prayers asked in faith.

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind (see James 1:6).

Faith is able to believe that which seems impossible to the fleshly-minded. It is how Abraham believes that he can be the father of many nations but is still able to offer Isaac as sacrifice. Faith is trusting in God when feelings fail us. It believes even when rationality can no longer see any way out.

We have a hope that is given to us by the prophets. Renewal and restoration are promised to the people of Israel. 

With age-old love I have loved you;
so I have kept my mercy toward you.
Again I will restore you, and you shall be rebuilt,
O virgin Israel;
Carrying your festive tambourines,
you shall go forth dancing with the merrymakers.

We have so many promises. We can only attain them by faith. Let us take the example of the Canaanite woman. Then we too will shout for joy and exult at the head of nations.




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