This sermon encourages believers to persist in faith and humility, trusting in God's power to overcome obstacles.
Good morning, beloved. It is indeed a joy to gather together in the presence of our Lord, to learn, to grow, to be transformed by the Word of God. Today, we turn our hearts and minds towards a passage that is as challenging as it is inspiring, a passage that speaks of faith, humility, and the relentless pursuit of divine intervention.
Opening Scripture Reading – We find ourselves in Matthew 15:21, where we meet a Canaanite woman, a woman whose faith and persistence are a testament to us all. The passage reads, 'Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, 'Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.' Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, 'Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.' He answered, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.' The woman came and knelt before him. 'Lord, help me!' she said. He replied, 'It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.' 'Yes it is, Lord,' she said. 'Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.' Then Jesus said to her, 'Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.' And her daughter was healed at that moment.'
In this encounter, we see a woman who persistently pursued Jesus for the healing of her daughter, a woman who displayed profound humility in the face of rejection, and a woman whose faith moved the heart of Jesus. She did not let any obstacle stand in her way. She knew what she needed, and she knew who could provide it. And so, she pressed on, she persevered, she persisted.
The great Christian author, Charles Spurgeon once said, 'By perseverance, the snail reached the ark.' This woman was like that snail. Despite the odds, despite the obstacles, despite the rejection, she reached her ark, her place of safety and deliverance - Jesus.
As we reflect on this passage, may we too be inspired to persist in our faith, to humble ourselves before our Lord, and to trust in His power to move mountains in our lives.
A. And so, she decides to seek him out. She decides to ask for his help. Now, this is not an easy decision for her. She is a Canaanite, a foreigner. She is not part of the chosen people of Israel. She knows that she might be rejected, that she might be turned away. But she is desperate. She is willing to take the risk. She is willing to do whatever it takes to help her daughter.
She cries out to Jesus, 'Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.' But Jesus does not respond. He does not say a word. His disciples urge him to send her away. But she does not give up. She persists. She kneels before him and pleads, 'Lord, help me!'
B. This woman's persistence is remarkable. Despite the silence, despite the rejection, despite the discouragement, she does not give up. She continues to cry out to Jesus. She continues to seek his help. She continues to trust in his power to heal her daughter with a faith that takes action. This is a faith that seeks, that knocks, that asks. This is a faith that persists, that perseveres, that endures.
Application – This woman's faith is a challenge to us. It challenges us to persist in our own faith, to continue seeking, knocking, asking, even when it seems like God is silent, even when it seems like our prayers are not being answered. It challenges us to trust in God's power, in his ability to intervene in our lives, even when it seems like all hope is lost.
This woman's faith should inspire us to believe in the power of divine intervention, to believe that God can and does intervene in our lives, in ways that are beyond our understanding, in ways that are beyond our expectations. It inspires us to believe that no situation is beyond God's reach, that no problem is too big for God to handle.
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