We have all been there where we feel as if we are praying for the same situation or the same people over and over. Does the Lord hear my prayers? Is He getting tired of me? Should I just quit praying about this? We can have many questions when there are no apparent answers, but we can also find great comfort and understanding within the Bible itself. Am I bugging God when I continue to pray about the same thing?
Matthew 15:21-28 gives us the account of the Gentile woman who approaches Jesus on behalf of her daughter. We can learn a lot from this testimony.
1. When We Think God Doesn’t Have Time
Sometimes we might believe that the Lord is too busy to worry with our concerns.
Matthew 15:21-23 says, “Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.’ But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, ‘Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’”
It is true that Jesus was in a solitary place, however He is sovereign and intentionally went to this place knowing that this Gentile woman would be there. The woman did not have a small issue – her daughter was possessed by a demon. Imagine the continuous, daily agony that this girl and her mother were in. They lived in a state of shame, uncertainty, and fear. This woman knew that Jesus was her only hope for her daughter to be healed so she sought after Him.
Notice that Jesus did not answer her at her first request. Sometimes the Lord is quiet on a matter. He is not a “mystical genie” who has to respond in our time and in our way. He is in fact the opposite; He is the King of the world. He is the One who knows when to act and when to be still. Although the silence or the answer of “wait” in our own lives is very challenging, Jesus models that He is not required to give an answer or respond immediately. This is not without purpose though. He did not respond for a reason.
The disciples suggested to send her away because of her continuous cries, but Jesus makes it clear that is not His intent. He was not wanting to push away the woman in her pain. Oftentimes when we do not hear a response, we can believe the lie that God does not want us to come to Him. This is the opposite. Jesus didn’t go anywhere, He sat with the woman and welcomed her tears. Jesus valued this woman and her pain and was always there for her in it, whether He responded or not.
2. When We Feel Humbled
Matthew 15:26-27 says, “The woman came and knelt before Him. ‘Lord, help me!’ she said. But Jesus replied, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.’ ‘Yes, Lord,” she said, ‘even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.’”
At first glance, these are confusing verses. Matthew Henry shares from his commentary, “The state of this woman is an emblem of the state of a sinner, deeply conscious of the misery of his soul. The least of Christ is precious to a believer, even the very crumbs of the Bread of life.”
The posture of this woman was humility. We can easily be humbled by the circumstances that we are in. This woman knew that apart for Christ, she was hopeless. She pleaded with Him. She would be willing to take a crumb of what Jesus had to offer because it would be better than what anyone else could give.
In continuous prayer, we draw near to God in a special way. We grow to understand that He is our greatest need. We learn to have a posture of trust and humility. The Lord often uses these times of waiting and asking multiple times to do something greater within our hearts. He cultivates a patient reliance on Him and reminds us that He is worth more than our trials.
3. When Persistence Is Blessed
Whether or not in the end God says, “Yes” to our prayer request, we can see clearly that persistence is blessed.
Matthew 15:28 says, “‘O woman,’ Jesus answered, ‘your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”
After not giving up asking and seeking the Savior, Jesus finally healed this woman’s daughter. Her desperation and her persistence is not dishonored, in fact it is welcomed and encouraged. No matter what the outcome, we are invited to come to God in prayer.
Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Again, this is not a guarantee that we get what we want in the end. If someone asks for a Ferrari every day, their persistence is there, but it likely doesn’t line up with the Father’s will. 1 John 5:14 makes this clear, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (emphasis added).
So yes, we are persistent in prayer, but as we pray, we also need to ask the Holy Spirit to expose our hearts and examine our motives. We need to be surrendered ultimately to the Lord.
Are we bugging God when we pray about the same thing? No. He loves for his children to talk with Him. I think some deeper questions here could be, “Does God hear me if He is not answering my prayers.” “Am I praying for something in line with God’s will?” “What is the Lord cultivating in me through praying?”
Jesus welcomes us to pray to Him. He encourages us to ask Him. He reveals that He will not always answer on our ideal time frames, but He is with us always. If our requests are things that are drawing us closer to God that honor Him, may we keep asking unashamedly and bring our humble prayers to Him.
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Photo credit: Unsplash/Eunice Lituanas
Emma Danzey’s mission in life stems from Ephesians 3:20-21, to embrace the extraordinary. One of her greatest joys is to journey with the Lord in His Scriptures. She is wife to Drew and mom to Graham. Emma serves alongside her husband in ministry, she focuses most of her time in the home, but loves to provide articles on the Bible, life questions, and Christian lifestyle. Her article on Interracial Marriage was the number 1 on Crosswalk in 2021. Most recently, Emma released Treasures for Tots, (Scripture memory songs) and multiple books and devotionals for young children. During her ministry career, Emma has released Wildflower: Blooming Through Singleness, two worship EP albums, founded and led Polished Conference Ministries, and ran the Refined Magazine. You can view her articles on her blog at emmadanzey.wordpress.com