“Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” Matthew 15:28
If we look at the great Bible heroes, we see something in common —active faith. Their trust in God rises to such great heights we sometimes find it hard to comprehend. Abraham was asked to kill the son for whom he waited a lifetime. Noah built an ark when there was no sign of rain. David looked up into the eyes of a giant who could have killed him with a swipe of his mighty hand. We could mention Daniel, Elijah, Esther, and many more. These people are examples of faith put into action. Faith is a prerequisite for prayer. No faith, no prayer.
In Matthew 15 we read of the Syrophoenician woman whose daughter was suffering from demon possession. She was a Canaanite, a remnant of the people who had been conquered many years earlier. She had little right to approach the Master, but she did, and her prayer was to the point: “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon possessed and suffering terribly.” She did not pray for herself, nor did she ask for healing. She just wanted Jesus to have mercy on her.
Jesus’ disciples discouraged the woman from bothering him. Jesus even explained that his first mission was to the Jews, not to the Gentiles. Yet she persisted, “Lord, help me!” Jesus replied that he shouldn’t be taking the Word designated for God’s chosen and sharing it with others. That would be like sharing a fine dinner with the pet dog. Again she countered, “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” What remarkable faith in action! Like Abraham, David, Noah, and the rest, God nurtured her faith, stretched it, and strengthened it.
There may be times in our lives when it seems that God resists our prayers. Yet he wants us to persist while he fortifies and reinforces our faith in his promises. Like the Syrophoenician woman, our sinfulness can also make us appear as mangy dogs. Yet because we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus, God calls us his sons and daughters. This woman should inspire us to put our faith into action in our prayers as we stand boldly and confidently in the presence of God.
The woman’s actions bore fruit. “Then Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed at that moment.”
Are you as persistent in prayer as the woman in this meditation?
Prayer is as natural an expression of faith
as breathing is to life.
Jonathan Edwards