Necessary Persistence

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 cruelly demon-possessed." But He did not answer her a word. Matthew 15:22, 23 (New American Standard Bible)

I marvel at this miracle account in Scripture. When a non-Jewish woman approached Jesus for the purpose of wanting her daughter healed, His first response was silence then the statement that He was sent only for the House of Israel. She didn’t leave it at that, she persisted! And because she persisted in faith, her daughter was healed…instantly! I marvel at her persistence.

If I had been her, I would have walked away in shame after the initial response of silence. I would have assumed the worst and regretted I had even asked. How do I know? I am that way when someone comes across as distant, unapproachable, or disinterested. I don’t want to run the risk of being hurt, so in order to guard my heart I back away. For me, it is safer to go without than to feel the sting of rejection or abandonment. That’s one of the reasons it takes a while for me to initially open up to a person and ask for help. My mom use to say, “Ask! They can only say no.” What she didn’t realize was that the one thing I feared the most was that ‘no’. It was a response that left me with the idea that I was out of line for asking and the shame was painful. So I came into adulthood trying not to ask.

While God understands my apprehensions and hesitations, He is continually nudging me to take some risks. That is a hard thing to do when you are already battling misperceptions and insecurities. So even as recent as today, I chose to play it safe with someone with whom I became uncertain. I didn’t persist. Instead I distanced myself.

This Canaanite woman is becoming a role model for me as I ask God to make me more like her. She didn’t allow a first response to freeze her in her tracks. She didn’t distance herself. She didn’t walk away. She persisted and she received what she longed for….a miracle of healing. I need one as well.

Father, I walk in fear of certain individuals and I know that is not of You. I long for the freedom to not take people’s responses the wrong way. I am in need of Your touch! Amen.

Help Me God - Kathy Troccoli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmSSWHO8ueA

He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. Job 36:16