I Think God is Tired of Hearing Me
Faith. Why is it such a difficult word to understand? I have heard the word many times lately and it seems like a common definition of it is to "think hard enough that something will happen." Perhaps that's part of it; but definitely not the entirety.
This morning as I was studying Matthew 15, the Lord struck me with a statement I know I have read dozens of times, "Then Jesus said to her, 'O woman, your faith is great...'"
How did Yeshua know this woman's faith was great? Did other people (the disciples) recognize her for having great faith? What was it about this woman that demonstrated great faith? So I re-read.
According to Matthew 15, this woman approached Yeshua. She was intentional. She asked for mercy. She was humble to know this task was beyond her capabilities. She had all the right ingredients to prayer. But check out vs. 23, "Yeshua did not answer her a word." Wait, I know I have read in the Word about how the Lord looks on the humble and contrite, etc. So why did Yeshua not give her an answer, a touch, or just a look? More importantly, it was in Yeshua's power to heal with just a word; so why didn't He just fix it?
I wonder how I would have responded if I were this woman. Would I have seen His non-answer as His final answer? Would I have doubted His care or His capability of healing something like this?
The text simply tells us that she KEPT shouting. This woman maintained persistence in her petition. It was in her persistence in her petition where her GREAT faith was made evident.
There have been many times when I believed I annoyed God with the sameness of my requests. I have even rolled my eyes while praying and in my heart thought, "okay Lord here I go again." But, this passage right here helped me get a better glimpse of who my Father is. He is the God who delights in our petitions and may at times stretch our faith through testing our persistence in the petition. I pray we demonstrate the greatness of our faith by staying persistent in our petitions.
Stay Encouraged.
This morning as I was studying Matthew 15, the Lord struck me with a statement I know I have read dozens of times, "Then Jesus said to her, 'O woman, your faith is great...'"
How did Yeshua know this woman's faith was great? Did other people (the disciples) recognize her for having great faith? What was it about this woman that demonstrated great faith? So I re-read.
According to Matthew 15, this woman approached Yeshua. She was intentional. She asked for mercy. She was humble to know this task was beyond her capabilities. She had all the right ingredients to prayer. But check out vs. 23, "Yeshua did not answer her a word." Wait, I know I have read in the Word about how the Lord looks on the humble and contrite, etc. So why did Yeshua not give her an answer, a touch, or just a look? More importantly, it was in Yeshua's power to heal with just a word; so why didn't He just fix it?
I wonder how I would have responded if I were this woman. Would I have seen His non-answer as His final answer? Would I have doubted His care or His capability of healing something like this?
The text simply tells us that she KEPT shouting. This woman maintained persistence in her petition. It was in her persistence in her petition where her GREAT faith was made evident.
There have been many times when I believed I annoyed God with the sameness of my requests. I have even rolled my eyes while praying and in my heart thought, "okay Lord here I go again." But, this passage right here helped me get a better glimpse of who my Father is. He is the God who delights in our petitions and may at times stretch our faith through testing our persistence in the petition. I pray we demonstrate the greatness of our faith by staying persistent in our petitions.
Stay Encouraged.
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