Tenacious Faith

Matthew 14:21-28

Jesus left that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And suddenly out came a Canaanite woman from that district and started shouting, 'Lord, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.' But he said not a word in answer to her. And his disciples went and pleaded with him, saying, 'Give her what she wants, because she keeps shouting after us.' He said in reply, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.' But the woman had come up and was bowing low before him. 'Lord,' she said, 'help me.' He replied, 'It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to little dogs.' She retorted, 'Ah yes, Lord; but even little dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters' table.' Then Jesus answered her, 'Woman, you have great faith. Let your desire be granted.' And from that moment her daughter was well again.

The Gospel Lesson for this Sunday is one that holds the "good news" at bay.

Jesus moves through the region and the solo voice of one beseeching him is ignored...discounted. We don't know how much time passes, but for the one whose request is not met, the time seems endless.

Praying and beseeching for relief ... results..

When will war end?

When will the children no longer starve...or suffer abuse?

When will people universally care for the world...nature...each other?

When will my loved one's pain come to an end?

Every second of suffering magnifies the heart's desire for His miraculous touch...for the ultimate return of pervasive wholeness.

The suffering soul is tenacious, persistent, and unabashedly articulate: Help me...offer me just a crumb of who you are, dear Lord...it shall be enough!

And you turn to us in our need...and something moves...the relentless cries to you have sprung from our unshakable faith. We stand firm that in the midst of dire circumstances even a glance from your divine countenance will unravel the tightest bonds of torment. In a moment...in a heart beat..."all is well".

Perhaps you connected with the intense, faithful desire radiating from the woman's soul. Perhaps you knew that she was modeling unshakable faith to everybody within that scene...including your disciples who initially wanted you to do something about the situation (perhaps because they themselves were getting impatient...uncomfortable... annoyed.)

What about us? Are there situations we are facing that prompt the cries of our soul...help us, Son of God! Are we willing to return to you...persistently...undaunted by the time that plods along...seemingly unchanging? Does our insistence sprout from the unquenchable ember of faith in our heart that in the asking for your aid all is already well?