Mark 7:24-37

“Then He said to her, ‘For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.’” (Mark 7:29, NKJV)

I cannot imagine how hard it would be to have a son or daughter who was demon-possessed. How could your mind be on anything else? Every routine would be disrupted. How could you sleep at night knowing that demons were in your child seeking to destroy him or her? No wonder this Syro-Phoenician mother came to Jesus when she heard that He was in town. She had no other hope.

But her initial petitions were ignored. Matthew tells us that she first went to Jesus, but He didn’t say a word. Then she went to the disciples, annoying them to the point that they urged Jesus to send her away! Finally, Jesus told her that it was not right to take the children’s bread and feed it to their pet dogs.

“And she answered and said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.’” (Mark 7:28, NKJV)

I am amazed at her perseverance to push through every obstacle. She knew that as a Gentile she was outside the covenant privileges of Israel, so she would be content with just a few crumbs falling from the table. The love she had for her daughter compelled her to press on until her petition was answered. Jesus was so impressed with her faith that He cast out the demon, even though her daughter was not with her.

I believe that Jesus knew what He would do from the beginning. But He wanted the Syro-Phoenician woman to grow in faith, and faith only gets stronger when it meets opposition or delay.

What about you? Are you compelled by the love of God to really want something? Have you prayed, but it seems like nothing is happening? Could it be that Jesus wants you to persevere…to ask and keep on asking? Maybe this is the only way for your faith to grow.

If you know that your desire is noble, then don’t give up until the answer comes. It could be ‘yes’; it could be ‘no’; or it could be ‘keep praying.’ But do not quit asking until the answer comes. That is the steadfast faith that God blesses.