The Faith of a Canaanite (Greek) Woman
When Jesus and his disciples came to the port of Tyre and Sidon, a Greek gentile woman approached him, asking him to heal her daughter of a demon.
But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Matthew 15:23-24
She tried even harder and begged him more to help her, but his answer was so curt and dismissive that all of us could feel it as rejection, and we couldn't believe this came out of our Savior's mouth. Here is what he said:
But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. Matthew 15:26
Most of us would have walked away, having been offended and angered by his words. Imagine being called a dog in this day and age; it wouldn't have gone over so well. However, this woman knew who she was talking to, humbled herself, and continued her quest for a cure for her daughter, knowing that only Jesus could answer her prayer.
And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Matthew 15:27
Her persistence paid off!
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
This is what I learned: don't give up when your prayers are not answered immediately. Be persistent, humble yourself, lean in a little more, and worship Jesus harder. And, if his answer is yes, your faith will grow even more. We could all benefit by having faith like this woman. Keep praying, and, by all means, worship him with all your heart.
Pictured is a street in Corfu, Greece
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