Read Matthew 15: 21-28
In Matthew 15 we have a Canaanite woman: a Gentile, unclean, unworthy of any Israelite. Despite her shameful status and out of the desperation of a mother’s cry for her daughters’ life, she pleads for help. She has an inkling of hope from likely observing or hearing about previous healings.
In this short engagement, four things unfold.
- She cries out. “Have mercy on me!” Christ ignores her. The disciples mock her and want to send her away.
- She continues to cry out. Christ rejects her by saying, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” He clearly reminds her of her status; nothing. She wasn’t of the chosen people.
- She kneels. “Lord, help me!” Christ rebukes her. “It’s not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” She’s not worthy to receive the best from God.
- She wrestles with God through pleas. She persistently confronts Christ by arguing, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” She knows her unworthiness. She confesses sin. She may not be worthy, but she will take whatever kindness she can receive- even if it’s leftovers. Then Christ answers. Christ grants. “Woman, you have great faith! Your requests are granted.”
This passage reveals many facets of how we relate to God. It reveals the nature of prayer. It reveals our status before God and what he requires of us in order to seek restoration. It reveals a need for our acknowledgment of our sinfulness in relation to Christ and willingness to confess and repent.
Prayer as a process
Christ came to know us and be known. How often do we feel our prayers fall on vain ears and we give up? The legacy of this woman is her persistence in prayer. God is teaching her, stretching her faith, gently guiding her to repentance and full knowledge of faith through each step. She comes to Him knowing he has the power to heal. But she does not know Him has her creator and savior. This is why He doesn’t just grant her prayer request. When you pray, do you come just asking or do you acknowledge your status before Him with a repentant, open heart seeking help from an all-powerful God? Are you seeking God’s saving grace or immediate results? Are you acceptant of God’s initial rejection and willing for your heart to be in the right posture?
God took the Canaanite woman through a process in prayer. She begged, cried, groveled, yelled, argued and wrestled with Him. They were entwined in a relational conversation. The end result not only saved her daughter but now she knew God. She knew his almighty power, grace and love for her. God uses prayer to teach us, to know him more deeply, to cultivate change in our lives. It’s not a magic eightball we shake until we get the answer we want. God answered her prayer because she moved toward faith and right relationship with God.
Restoration
Christ came to make all things new. For transformation to begin our lives must be made right before God. That starts with confession and acknowledgment of sin. When we confess these matters it releases burden from our souls like freeing a caged bird to fly for the first time. It gives clarity by removing a blindfold that’s incessantly caused us to stub our toes and stumble into chairs and granting freedom to walk with ease. Christ desires for us to have this freedom. He knows it comes through confession. Confession simply allows us to see ourselves rightly before God–unworthy. When we see our true status before God we know He’s the only one capable of redeeming us, our life or any situation. He took the Canaanite woman through this process so she could embrace the healing that he’d already intended to offer. Her coming to a status of understanding revealed her faith and trust; the essence of what God was leading her to attain. Her confession of unworthiness gave her the wisdom to know God could heal her daughter; this fueled her persistence.
If confession is hard for you, here is a simple prayer of confession from, The Book of Common Prayer. Our family worships in the Anglican tradition and have found these prayers enriching and soul-giving, especially when you don’t know how to pray.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in you ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.
I believe Jesus intended to answer her cries from the moment she begged, “Have mercy on me!” But He’s a God who takes us to new places as we wander. He’s a God who moves, changes and charges us forward. If he’d instantly healed her daughter, ‘granted her wish’, she’d be no different than before coming to Him. God wants to do better, He wanted to heal her too. Christ comes to heal all manners of illness and possession–sin being the victor of all disease. If we haven’t been changed or moved by an encounter with Christ then it’s time to cry out, “Lord, have mercy on me!”
Reflection:
- What stage of your prayer life might you be in? Are you still begging before God and being ignored? Are you humbling yourself before him? Do you need to spend time in confession? Maybe you are enjoying the sweetness of hearing from God in prayer.
- Consider how Christ took time with the Canaanite woman to reveal something deeper to her. What might God be trying to reveal to you through the process of prayer?
- Are you still waiting to be changed or moved by Christ? Just cry out to Him.
Powerful!