So His disciples came to [Jesus] and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us...” The woman came and knelt before Him. “Lord, help me!” she said (Matthew 15:23, 25).
Heavenly Father, How great is Your mercy, how limitless Your grace! No one is outside the reach of Your love. All You require is an open heart—a humble acceptance of the grace You so willingly pour into our undeserving laps.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit," our Lord Jesus taught us, "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). Oh Lord, You show us how You respond to poverty of spirit in this Matthew 15 account of a Canaanite mother, "an outsider" who came on behalf of her daughter to cast herself on the Lord's mercy.
You show us how she dared to persevere through "no response" from Jesus, and through a response that seemed to curtly deny her request. And then You show us in the ultimate response of Jesus—“Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment (Matthew 15:28)—that this dialogue was not about children, or dogs, or crumbs at all.
Instead Lord, looking more closely at what many may see as a puzzling exchange, we find so much of Your tender mercy and Your encouragement. You teach us that You welcome humble hearts, that You honor perseverance, and that You listen when we "plead our case" before You.
May we be encouraged from this narrative to "keep crying out after" You, Lord, even when others are bothered by our persistence. May we be encouraged to persevere, when it seems our prayers are unanswered. May we be encouraged to plead our case before You, praying Your promises, and casting ourselves on Your mercy.
Our God and Father, keep us always aware of what's at stake as we pray. Give us the endurance to push past any obstacle, and persevere through any deterrent, to plead for our children, to entreat for our families, to petition for our communities, and to intercede for our world.
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