From the desk of Pastor Ben

Great Faith Is Persistent

He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.” But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”   (Matthew 15:23-24)

Great faith persists; it’s not deterred by setbacks. So, Christ tested the Canaanite woman’s faith by placing barriers in her way. One of those barriers was that at first He did not answer, which can be the most difficult response to accept. When the woman persisted in asking the Lord for help, the apostles came in frustration to Him and asked Him to do something about this nuisance. Finally, they simply asked that He “send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.”

That response was insensitive and prejudiced, and at first glance, Jesus seemed to be equally insensitive to the woman — He didn’t even acknowledge her presence. But the Lord never did anything unloving or apart from His own wise and perfect purpose. He’d had enough of artificial and selfish faith that got what it wanted from Him and then left. So, He chose to test the woman’s faith to bring it to fruition. He put up barriers not to keep her away from Him but to draw her closer. At the same time, He taught the apostles the nature of genuine faith and the value of persisting in it.

Jesus’ words to the disciples about the priority of Israel in the plan of redemption, may have reassured them, but they did not deter this Gentile woman. Her love for her daughter made her determined to free her from Satan. The woman’s pagan gods did not care, and she knew her only hope was to turn to Christ. Her response reiterated Peter’s sentiment, “Lord, to whom shall we go”? (John 6:68).

Ask Yourself:
Have you ever experienced the silence of God during certain seasons of your life? How did you react to it? Why do you think He chose to delay his response to you? What have you learned from those times that can help your faith stay true when He forces you to wait?