I'm going to share five lessons I learned from that story
about the Canaanite woman in the bible Matthew 15:21-28 Matthew 15:21-Then
Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Matthew
15:22 - And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to
Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is
severely demon possessed." Matthew 15:23 - But He answered her not a word.
And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she
cries out after us." Matthew 15:24 - But He answered and said, "I was
not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Matthew 15:25 -
Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" Matthew
15:26 - But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's
bread and throw it to the little dogs." Matthew 15:27 - And she said,
"Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their
masters' table." Matthew 15:28 - Then Jesus answered and said to her,
"O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And
her daughter was healed from that very hour. When we look into the Bible, there
are few people who specifically acquired the praise of Jesus Christ. One of
them is the Canaanite woman whom Jesus Christ has said, “O woman, great is your
faith!” However, it was not easy for the Canaanite woman to attain this
commendation.
For this reason, let
us explore the lessons we can get from her story found in Matthew 15:21- 28.
1.
God loves
intercessors In Matthew 15:22, we read that the Canaanite woman’s “daughter
is severely demon-possessed.” So we see that the request of the Canaanite woman
is for her daughter. Intercessors occupy a great place in the heart of God. The
Intercessor will always have access to the deep things of God because he is an
ambassador of Heaven. He presents the people before God An Intercessor is a
middle man between humanity and divinity First thing that Jesus noticed was her
attitude towards carrying someone's burden.The Intercessor has a heart for
others He carry's others request back to a God that can provide an answer. Here
we can find the woman presenting her request to Jesus and asking Him not for
her own benefit but for her beloved daughter. She took the problem of her
daughter as her own and now presenting herself before the Creator and Master of
the universe. In the same way, we must also include in our prayers other people
who need our help. The prayer request lists in our church is a great place to
start in finding people whom we should pray for.
2.
Habitual prayer is more potent that a
one-off prayer. We read that “Jesus answered her not a word” (verse 23).
How difficult could it be for the woman to accept that her only hope of healing
is beginning to fade away? To make things worse, the disciples urged Jesus to
“send her away”. Jesus further told the woman that he was sent to the “lost
sheep of the house of Israel” This could be heart-breaking for anyone, but the
Canaanite woman persists in her request. She did not waver or lose heart. She
could have easily considered Jesus as a cold and heartless teacher by the way
Jesus had treated her. With all these, we can see the persistent prayer of the
Canaanite woman. Instead of turning away from Jesus, “she came and worshiped
Him, saying ‘Lord, help me’”. This is the kind of attitude God is looking when
we pray. God's silence shouldn't make us to stop praying. A persistent attitude
attracts the attention of the immortals.
3.
The goal
of prayer is not always for the answer of what you are praying for.
Sometimes it is to change us. God puts more importance on building our
character. Sometimes, God does not immediately answer our prayers. There are
times that things get worse before they get better. Our time frame seems not to
coincide with God’s timetable. However, just like the Canaanite woman’s story,
we can always be assured that “all things work together for good to those who
love God”. When God doesn’t seem to answer, instead of doubting him, we need to
ask ourselves, “What can we learn from this experience?” In every situation, it
is certain that God is teaching us a lesson. The reason a praying Christian is
better than a non praying one is that praying changes the one who practices it.
Sometimes you have not gotten what you wanted to in the midst of the prayer,
You are changed and prepared to handle what it us that God have for you which
might be different from what you were praying for.
●Prayer prepares our heart to walk in the
will of God.
●Prayer builds capacity to walk with God.
4.
Problems
should lead us toward God, not away from Him. One of the reasons people
leave the church is that they can’t handle the trials and difficulties
associated with treading the Christian road. However, this must not be the case
for us. We must “count it all joy when [we] fall into various trials”. Instead
of doubting God, we must trust in Him that He will not withhold anything good
from us Psalm.84:11 -For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give
grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.
5.
Our reward is at the end of the journey,
not at the beginning. Because of the strong faith and perseverance of the
Canaanite woman, she was praised by Jesus Christ. Her daughter was immediately
healed at that very moment (verse 28). You see, if the Canaanite woman expected
the reward at the beginning, she should have not continued anymore. Learn to
hang on to God till the end. Results come at the end not at the beginning.
Those who stay on to the end shall be rewarded We must realize that we will be
tested first before we receive our reward. Though it is true that our Christian
walk can be difficult, we must always remember – when all things are said and
done – it will always be WORTH IT We will all face trials that will test and
strengthen our faith. We may lose everything, but we must never lose our faith.
God is faithful and He will keep His word. Stay strong and keep the Faith that
will lead you to eternal life.
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