Have you ever needed a miracle of provision or healing that seemed impossible? Maybe you are in that position now, trusting God for what seems impossible. This is faith, faith to believe that God will provide, faith to believe that God will move on your behalf. The truth is that God is pleased with our faith; God rewards faith.
In Matthew 15 we read of a woman who set an example and a standard for what it takes to please God. Do you want to please God?
A Desperate Woman
This Canaanite woman came to Jesus with a problem; her daughter was demon possessed and suffering terribly. She had probably heard that Jesus was coming to town, and she trusted that Jesus could heal her daughter. She had probably tried every other avenue to have her daughter set free. This was her last hope; she was desperate. She cried out saying, “Lord, Son of David”, referring to Jesus as a Jew would even though she was a Gentile.
When you first read the story, it appears that Jesus and his disciples rejected her. We read in verse 23 that Jesus said nothing to her. He completely ignored her and seemed almost callous to her cry for help. The disciples were probably annoyed by her persistent crying, and they urged Jesus to send her away.
A Tested Faith
The woman’s situation was desperate; why was Jesus not responding to her need? Did Jesus simply not care? Sometimes when we face desperate situations, and God is silent, we wonder, has He forgotten us? Does He not see our situation?
Jesus finally responded to her crying and pleading, saying “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (v24). Did Jesus just reject her completely, proverbially shutting the door in her face? Jesus’ apparent rejection only seemed to grow her courage and faith. She knelt in worship before Jesus. This time she called him Lord, crying, “Lord, help me!”.
Jesus was not rejecting her; he was testing her, giving her faith the opportunity to prove itself like yeast that it was living and active.
A Mature Faith
We expect Jesus to relent; surely upon seeing her persistence he would grant her request, right? She passed the test; didn’t she?
Instead, Jesus took his rejection a step further. He insulted her, calling her Gentile people dogs! He said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs” (v26).
Has Jesus lost his mind? What more did he want from her?
We would be unsurprised if the woman walked away, dejected, frustrated, and confused. But she didn’t; she quickly responded, perceptively saying, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Her faith was maturing. As Jesus tested her, she grew bolder. She had nothing to lose, and she knew only Jesus could help her.
Her faith was small but maturing. Jesus said in Matthew 17:20 that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can move a mountain. It is not the size or quantity of the faith that Jesus was referring to; rather it is the maturity of that faith.
A Rewarded Faith
As Jesus heard her faith and humility, he responded immediately by commending her faith and healing her daughter. Her faith was rewarded, and her daughter was healed.
It is interesting to note that Matthew records two occasions in his Gospel of people who Jesus referred to as having great faith: this Canaanite woman and the Roman centurion in Matthew 8. Both were Gentiles, and on both occasions, Jesus healed from a distance.
The reality was that the Gentiles were spiritually distanced from the Jews and the ministry of Jesus. But that is why Jesus came to die on the cross, to reconcile all nations and people groups to himself. It is simply a matter of faith. Jesus still rewards faith today.
A Persistent Faith
Sometimes it seems like Jesus is saying no. Sometimes it seems like he is blessing others while ignoring us. But this isn’t him ignoring us, rejecting us, or lacking care for us; this is him testing our faith and giving it a chance to mature. Today God is looking for people who walk by faith, not by sight. The rewards of a lifestyle of faith are great. God does not allow us to go through trials for no apparent reason; rather it is to develop our faith in Him.
Individually and corporately as a church we are tested in our faith. James 1:2-4 gives us a prescriptive progression relating to faith. Trials test our faith, which produces endurance, which completes us, and then we will lack nothing. We will lack no good thing (see Psalm 37:25).
What is the desperate need of your heart today? Don’t give up; be persistent. Come to the Lord daily, hourly. Keep believing that what His Word says is true and that He is able to give you what you need. Note, this isn’t all our wants; rather all our needs. God knows your needs, and He will provide for you in His perfect timing. You will be able to look back with stronger faith.
A Pleasing Faith
Not only will you have a stronger faith, but you will have a faith that is pleasing to God. Your life will be a testimony to others about the goodness of God.
Faith is pleasing to God. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6; “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
To have faith we must believe that God exists; this is the root of faith.
If we struggle with faith, it may be because we struggle to believe that God exists.
God is the all-powerful creator of the universe, and He is your Heavenly Father. If we truly understand the depths of God’s love for us, we will have no problem with faith.
The final part of Hebrews 11:6 is the promise of God; “that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Trust in God; He will never let you down. The rewards may not be what we expect or thought we needed, but they will come in time.