Throughout the season of Lent our daily devotions have been written by members of the Faith Lutheran community. Our theme this Lent is “Jesus Our Healer.” Today’s devotion comes from Kate Mitsakis.
From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin.
She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. Mark 7:24-30
This is one amazing woman. If you read closely, it kind of sounds like Jesus didn’t even really want her to know He was there. Yet, she was eager, and she came to ask for help for her daughter, and it sounds to me a little bit like Jesus tells her no, or at least, not yet.
Her response? Why? There is plenty of what you give to go around, I’m totally happy with the crumbs of whatever you have to give. This is my daughter we are talking about here, I need You. Whatever You give will be enough. And Jesus heard her, and her daughter was healed.
As a mother of two young children, plagued with some demons of their own… Why are 4 year olds so wild? And will someone please teach my baby how to sleep? There are days that I feel like I haven’t done enough. Like I’m not good enough, or perfect enough for God’s help. But regardless of whether or not there’s something we could have done to be better, He is here to help us, and we need to be courageous enough to ask, and persistent enough to keep asking until we have His help.
Each one of us is good enough for God’s help, and we will take whatever we can get. We just need to remember to be confident that we are worth His help, and persistent in our requests – because God’s help and healing is there for all of us, even if we have to wait under the table to catch a crumb.
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for being there for me, please help me to remember that I am always worth Your help, I just have to ask. Please help me to be persistent in my requests, and tenacious in my trust that You are here to provide healing and strength for me, always. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Daily Devotions 
March 26, 2015 at 5:40 am |
Gentile or Jew, Catholic or Lutheran, Jesus continues to grant His healing mercy, just as he did for the Gentile woman’s daughter.
We must ask for healing and know He hears us, that He answers our prayers. We should thank God for his intervention in our lives.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will direct your paths.”