It’s OK to persist

“Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Matthew 15.27

The Gospels reveal a picture of Jesus who was so willing to heal the sick that he went out of his way to bring an end to the suffering of individuals who came across his path.  Yet the account of Jesus meeting the Canaanite woman does not fit comfortably with this picture.  Here we see Jesus appear unwilling to do what he is asked, and he even appears to go out of his way to make life difficult for this lady who approached him for help!  Sadly, some people today feel only too able to identify with her!

However, despite this the story is still encouraging for us as we seek his touch on our lives.  We see a woman who was desperate for Jesus’ help and who was not going to take ‘no’ for an answer.  If you look at her replies to Jesus, she did everything she could to persuade him to touch her – and her tenacity won through!  So what can we learn from this?

It is very easy for us to give up in prayer if the answer we seek does not come quickly or in the way we expect.  There is a tendency to assume that ‘no’ today means ‘no’ for ever.  However, Jesus valued persistence and faith – so keep lifting your needs to him in the confidence that he values your tenacity and wants to bring his transformation to you.

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