‘Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He did not answer her with even a word. And His disciples came up and urged 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.” But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” Yet He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord; but please help, for even the dogs feed on the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed at once.’ Matthew 15:21-28
There are a few lessons within this Story. One of them is that this woman did not give up. Right at the start here I have let you know that there is a difference between not giving up on prayer, and praying for the same thing over and over. There is a difference between a prayer of faith, and to keep reminding God of your prayer everyday.
Jesus taught against repeating the same prayer over and over, also as I see it, not knowing when to stop praying, “thinking that they will be heard for their many words. Obviously talking about religious praying. We can make our prayers become just religious prayers. Even when we are just crying out to God in desperation. Asking for the same thing over and over indicates that we think that God did not hear us the first time.
There was a parable that Jesus told about a man who went to his friend’s house at night, to ask for food to feed another visiting friend. I have heard teachings that tell us that God is like this friend who eventually did as he was asked, because his friend would not give up. My view of this parable is different to this. As is born out by other scriptures which tell us that if we ask we will receive.
‘Then He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.’ Luke 11:5-9
Here Jesus is not saying that you will not get what you want unless you keep on at God. Jesus is saying that our Father is better than this friend. Just ask and it will be given. We do not need to keep bugging God about our needs, desires and wants. Yes, sometimes the answer may be no. He will give freely what is good for us.
Back to our Canaanite woman, She came to Jesus and asked for healing for her daughter. Jesus ignored her, why? We can speculate. Jesus said that He had come to the Israelite and it was not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs. Jesus called the woman a dog. The woman replied in a very clever way. But listen she did not ask/pray for the same thing again. She asked for one thing one time. She would not let go, being ignored she was probably shouting “Do you hear me, I am not leaving without an answer.”
The point is this, after the rejection from the disciples and Jesus, Then an answer that was not what she wanted, she reasoned with the Lord. I want to tell you that it is alright to reason with the Lord. That He might even welcome it. As it can demonstrate our faith in Him. This woman’s reasoning led Jesus to say that her faith was great. I say that God will always respond positively to a prayer of faith.
There are some translations of the Bible that say we should,’ ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, knock and keep on knocking.’ To me it does not sound right. I go more with the thought that we never have just one thing to ask for, we should be seeking the kingdom of God in every situation; and when we need answers we should knock athe door of wisdom and God is happy to give generously. See James 1
‘For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!’ Matthew 7:8-11
John’s gospel tells us if we ask for anything in His name, we will receive it. James tells us that if we doubt we should not expect to receive anything. Asking over and over is not asking in faith, it is in unbelief/doubt. Sometimes we let our own minds get in the way. Our way and thoughts prevent us from asking in faith. If our reasonings are about why God may not give, we should not expect to receive anything. If our reasonings are standing upon the promises of God to give, we will get whatever we ask for.
This is the way to pray in faith, ask and then just thank God for what has been asked. Even before we see the manifestation, we should be thanking the Lord, have a heart of thanksgiving.
‘Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.’ Mark 11:24
Mustard seed sized faith should be able to accomplish anything, that is the teaching of Jesus. Then we say yes but…… You just cancelled out your faith. So many times I have heard people say things like, ’Jesus did not really mean that we could ask for anything.’ If that were true, why would he talk this way about a mountain, and a mere Mulberry tree? That they would be removed to the sea if we talked to them and told them to go.
People talk about big faith; great faith; strong faith, as did Jesus. Jesus did speak much more about little faith. How small must the disciples faith have been when Jesus chastised them for their little faith? Yet He told them that the faith the size of a mustard seed would get the required results. Jesus would have been right by saying, “where is your faith?
The Canaanite woman asked for healing, and then stayed near to Jesus bugging the disciples. She was not going to be ignored. If she was not going to get healing for her daughter at least she wanted to know why. As I said, when she got the answer, she was not going to settle for that, and reasoned with Jesus. Do not forget this, that Jesus had Canaanite and moabite women in His ancestry. His Father was pure Holiness.
Something that I have done and do not need to do is pray for something, and then make a point of reminding God of the thing. God does not need reminding. That can also be a lack of faith, as it is really asking for the same thing again. Jesus told us to ‘ Believe that we have received, When we pray, even before we have finished our prayer.
One time I was at a conference, in the last meeting. I realised that I did not know how I was going to get home over a hundred miles away. I started to pray, asking for money to pay for the train or bus. Before I had finished praying someone tapped me on the shoulder and said, “God told me to give you this.” They handed me ten pounds. I had never met that person before. We praised god, and I prayed some more, thanking God for the money, which was not enough to get me all the way home. I thanked Him for the plan that He had for my trip home.
As I was going out the door of the meeting someone asked me how I was travelling, I said that God had it all in hand, they said, we can give you a lift into London. They dropped me at the coach station. Praise God. With the ten pounds I brought a coach ticket to Leicester, and had some change left over. I asked the Lord what it was for, He said, “ you have not eaten today. The change was just enough to buy a KFC meal. God provides for all our needs, even if we forget to ask for some of them.
‘Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. ‘Mark 11:23-24
Charlie
FREEDOM IN CHRIST 