Extreme Faith
Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. ~Matthew 15:28
Our devotion this morning is a touching story about prayer, faith, and humility. Jesus purposely makes a stop in the area of Tyre and Sidon for one woman and her daughter. They did not realize it at the time, but Jesus went there just for them. It is a reminder that we have a Savior Who goes to extreme measures for us. There is no person whom He will not help. There is no place so far away that He will not go. There is no problem that He is unwilling to solve. We have a Savior Who will go to the extreme for us. On the other hand, are we willing to exercise extreme faith for God to do something great for us?
We see this woman and her desire.
This woman had a daughter who was grievously vexed with a devil. This daughter was demon-possessed. The mother realized that her daughter would only get worse unless the demon was expelled. She heard that Jesus had come into her town, and she requested Jesus to come and help her. Even though she was a Gentile, she had faith in Jesus' authority and ability to help her daughter. This woman turned from whatever pagan belief she had and called on the true God of heaven and earth to deliver her daughter. She was thoroughly convinced from whatever she had heard about Jesus that He could help her.
We see this woman and her disadvantage.
This woman was a Gentile. Gentiles were held in low estimation by the Jewish community. Jesus' disciples wanted to send her away. Jesus tested her by telling her that His mission was to minister to the lost sheep of Israel. He even told her, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.” This was a way of saying that Gentiles did not have favor, socially speaking. She was at a disadvantage. Many times, we must realize how inadequate and disadvantaged we are before God can do something great for us.
We see this woman and her determination.
This woman exemplified great persistence. She kept asking for the Lord to help. She asked a minimum of four times for help. She did not allow her status to stop her. She did not take "no" for an answer. She knew that Jesus could help her. She just kept asking! Extreme faith is evident where there is great persistence. Hence, many of us have a weak and impotent faith because a non-answer or a delay discourages us from continuous asking. Do you have someone hard who needs to be saved? Keep asking, and don’t quit!
We see this woman and her descent.
When Jesus told her that the children’s bread could not be given to the dogs, all other Gentiles would have received this as a final "no"—not this woman. She replied, “Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” She was saying, “I am humbling myself to receive whatever you think is best for me. I am humbling myself for the benefit of my daughter.” She recognized who she was, what she could not do, and that only Jesus could do the impossible. This response was so different from that of the Pharisees whom Jesus was dealing with.
We see this woman and her demonstration.
Jesus answered her request. He made a powerful statement about her faith. He said, “Great is thy faith”! She demonstrated extreme faith, a faith that held onto Jesus for help no matter what the cost would be to her! Great faith is an extreme faith. It is a faith that understands that God alone is the only One capable of solving our problems.
How extreme is your faith? Are you persistent in your praying? Are you willing to humble yourself to see answers to your prayers? Do you believe the Word of God enough to say, “Truth, Lord”?
Have a faith-empowered God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Ezekiel 23-24