Persistence pays off!

Monday:

Matthew 15:23. “.........But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word.............”

This is part of the verse regarding a woman who asked Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter.

I’m sure, we have all felt like this woman, we pray and pray and ask and ask and there does not seem to be a reply.

We had a grandson who was born with Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic disease that only allows recipients a short life expectancy.  We prayed for his healing but God had other plans. (If you are a regular reader, you are familiar with our Grand son who was killed in a motorcycle accident.)

I have prayed for loved ones who are unbelievers, for many years and often the reply seems to be silence.  We don’t know or understand why the response is such as it is.  Perhaps a silent answer gave the woman an opportunity to think about her life and her situation.  We are not told much about her but I wonder what her life was like. Was she a single Mom? It does not say anything about her husband.

 As the story continues, there seems to be a turn of events: at  the persistence of the woman we see that Jesus has compassion and ultimately heals her daughter.  I believe we need to be more like this woman, and continue to trust and ask, even though we think there is no hope. 

In the silence there are benefits to gain and lessons to learn.  We can take advantage of the “lull” and learn important values like perseverance and patience and it gives us an opportunity to look at ourselves objectively.  Ultimately, God is in control and as we believe in his promises and learn to trust him more and more, our lives become less stressful and more joyous.

Prayer for today: Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for hearing my requests and even though your answer is sometimes silence, I know you are taking care of my concerns.  Help me, Lord to use the “lulls” to grow and gain wisdom by thinking about the situation I’m praying about. I am so glad that you, Lord are ultimately in control and as I learn to trust you more and more, let me be patient and wait for your answer because your timing is perfect.  In Jesus name, Amen.