Don't Stop Praying

*This morning, 1.20.2025, as I was lying in bed between Jared’s snooze alarms going off, half awake, half asleep, the Holy Spirit simply whispered, Matthew 15. So that’s where I began my morning. After reading the entire chapter once through, my heart settled in on the below portion in regard to the concept of persistent prayer in the face of silence and even apparent denial.  Matthew 15:21-28

21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. (Matthew 11:21 - Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes).

Tyre and Sidon are not Jewish communities. They’re Phoenician cities in modern day Lebanon. They were predominantly Gentile regions.

22 And behold a Canaanite woman from that region (Tyre and Sidon) came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David, my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”

Notice this woman is Gentile, yet she recognizes Jesus as the “Son of David” and appeals to His authority and asks for Him to have mercy on her and lays her troubles before him. 

23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”

Silence in the face of difficult situations and prayer. Interesting that Chad Bird made a post yesterday on FB about Silence in such times. 

God is most silent during the hardest times in our lives. So it seems anyway.

And so it must have seemed for Israel. From the time Jacob left for Egypt (Gen 46:1ff) until the time God spoke to Moses in the burning bush (Exod 3), there was no divine revelation, no direct speech from Yahweh.

It was the longest gap of divine speech in the Old Testament.

Yet these 400 years were some of the hardest years of Israel's history. When they suffered most, God was most silent.

Yet he wasn't truly silent, for he had given them his word, his promise that he would be with them in exile, would bring them up again to freedom after they had suffered. He was teaching them to live by faith in the word he had spoken before their suffering.

He wanted his people to rely not on new revelations but old promises.

This is a lesson for us. When we are going through hard times, we often cry out, "God, just tell me what to do! Just speak to me! Why are you silent?" In that silence, however, God is pointing you to the word and promise he has already spoken in his Scriptures.

He is silent but not silent, for once for all, he has given us his Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, and his written word, which cannot lie. In Christ and his Scriptures we have the sure promise that he will never leave or forsake us, that even in our sufferings he is as close as the breath in our lungs and the blood in our veins.

When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, he walks with us. Our Jesus, our Emmanuel, our God-with-us.

Now, I’m not sure Chad’s post is completely relevant for this Gentile woman, as she was, well, a Gentile. She wouldn’t have His word, per se. No synagogue or rabbi’s teaching her about God and His promises. But she obviously had heard of Him and the miracles He had performed and how many were claiming Him to be the Messiah. And she must have believed it to be true.

I wonder if the conversation between Jesus and the disciples was audible for the woman. Did she hear them implore Jesus to “send her away”? The statement that she was “crying out after us” tells me she was persistently begging and pleading. This reminds me a great deal of the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8. Going back to look over those verses, I see I’ve also made note of Luke 11:5-13, the teaching directly after Christ’s response to the disciples request to teach them how to pray , and how it also emphasizes persistence. Notice in Luke 11 the example given deals with food being given at an inconvenient hour.

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

This part reflects back to something said in the previous part of Chapter 15 in verse 14 when Jesus refers to the Pharisees and scribes as “blind guides” and in verse 15 saying “if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit”. Jeremiah 50:6 speaks of this when the LORD says, “My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray” Yet, Jesus was here, in Tyre and Sidon.

Every commentary I’ve read and even my Study Bible makes references here back to Matthew 10:5-6 when Jesus sent out his disciples saying “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel” My Study Bible also cites Romans 15:8 which says, “For I tell you that Christ as become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth to confirm the *promises* made to the patriarchs” but let’s not stop there because vs 9 continues “so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name” (2 Sam 22:50; Ps 18:49) and vs 10 Again, it says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with is people”(Deut 32:43) and vs11 “And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples.(Ps 117:1) and vs 12 And again Isaiah says, The Root of Jesse will spring up and one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him” (Is 11:10)

And when I check the cross reference letter beside the word “promises” it takes me to 2 Corinthians 1:20 that tells us that all of God’s promises were fulfilled through Christ with a “YES!” And as we read on we see these verses in Matthew 15 fulfilled with a YES through Christ as well.

25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”

Even after Jesus basically tells her, “No. I’m not here for you.” She doesn’t give up. She keeps on pleading, using body language to express her humility, desperation, and recognition of His Lordship and her dependence on Him as her only hope. She started by asking for mercy (to have pity, show compassion) and now she’s saying I can’t do this alone. I need You.

26 And He answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

Here the children are the aforementioned “lost sheep of Israel” and when we read “dogs” we can think back to Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 7:6 “Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet and then turn and tear you to pieces.” Jesus is demonstrating wisdom, basically asking this woman to express her faith more fervently.  His mercy, compassion, presence and therefore help is something of value. He is Holy and all He does is Holy. Her response?

27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

Again, she demonstrates humility by acknowledging her status as a “dog” , someone unworthy and undeserving of His Holiness and anything He would offer her. But in her meekness continues to ask for the smallest morsel He would be willing to give.  I also have to pause here to reflect on what I know of dogs and I wonder if the dogs of Jesus’ day were different from the ones we have today. This reference to a “dog” seems to be an insult. Other places in Scripture where dogs are mentioned are in Proverbs 26:11 and 2 Peter 2:22 when it talks about a “dog returns to its vomit” But today, dogs seem to be fiercely loyal and willing to take so much neglect and abuse and return it with love and patience. Like the dog who eats the scraps under the kitchen table, taking whatever the master allows but nothing more. But truthfully, a dog could easily overtake the children at the table and steal the whole meal…. Meekness. I once heard this word described, speaking from a biblical perspective, as a wild stallion that’s been tamed. Rick Warren says, “Meekness is not weakness. Meekness literally means “strength under control”. Picture a wild stallion that has been broken and is now tamed. That stallion still has as much power as when he was wild, but now that power is bottled up for the master’s use.” This woman’s response shows submission. Another definition for meekness and humility that I have written in my bible is this: it is largely an explanation about the circumstance someone is willing to endure, rather than a state to succumb to.

She was willing to take just the smallest morsel of help, knowing it would be enough for now. She needed His help for this moment in time.  And like a dog eating scraps under the table, I bet it wouldn’t stray far, because it wouldn’t want to miss out on the next time crumbs are dropped. A dog eating scraps is willingly dependent on more scraps. Even though it could go out and hunt for food. There’s something about the relationship to the master that makes the dog stay, willingly, eating scraps. Scraps are seen as “less than” or “not enough” but with God there is no lack (Psalm 23:1) Because He is the source. Everything is new each morning. We are renewed day by day. We ask for our daily bread. He humbles us to show us we don’t live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. And when we feast on scraps with God we are “satisfied more than the richest feast” (Ps 63:5 NLT). I know there can be holes poked in this dog analogy but this is my thought process, through the lens of faith. Which she is credited as having.

28 Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” and her daughter was healed instantly.

“Be it done for you as you desire” is vaguely reminiscent to me of Luke 1:45 that says “Blessed is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” and we see her daughter was healed “from that hour” according to the Greek.  This woman was credited as having great faith (belief, trust, confidence).

So my takeaway from the Holy Spirit’s early morning prompting to read Matthew 15 is this: Don’t Stop Praying! What’s interesting about that is this has been an ongoing theme/focus/topic. At church we’re just starting to read ‘Fervent’ by Priscilla Shirer and Chapter One deals with losing our passion. My #oneword this year is “wait” because I’ve felt my passion leaving. For over a year I have been praying for my family to come back to faith and there’s no visible evidence that God is responding. I wouldn’t say He’s been silent exactly, because I experience His presence all the time during my time with Him at my Bible study desk. But on this particular issue it feels like if he’s not being silent, I’m being told not now. I’ve looked up Scripture, like Isaiah 60:1-4 that says, “Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the LORD rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the LORD rises and appears over you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see our radiance. “Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home” and then vs 22(c) At the right time, I, the LORD will make it happen.” and so I wait. And I don’t know if its the enemy or my own flesh and lack of faith, but sometimes when I look to verses like that one or claim Jeremiah 31:16 “This is what the LORD says: “Keep your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for the reward for your work will come, declares the LORD. Then your children will return from the land of the enemy” or Isaiah 49:25 “Indeed, this is what the LORD says: “Even the captives of the mighty will be taken away, and the plunder of the tyrant will be retrieved; I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.” I hear this voice say, “Those promises aren’t for you. Those were for a specific group of people, at a specific point in time” but this story in Matthew tells me to ask anyway. Use these verses as a reminder to the character of God. We see these verses were fulfilled in Christ with a YES! I love how Jesus doesn’t just give us permission to be persistent. He commands us to. Like the widow in Luke 18 or the friend that shows up in the middle of the night in Luke 11. Be persistent. Ask anytime, night or day. Preferably both. Continually. Isaiah 62:6-7 is another place He really brought this to my attention. “O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray day and night, continually. Take no rest, all you who pray to the LORD. Give the LORD no rest until he completes his work, until he makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth.” And just as I am to be persistent in praying and He has been faithfully persistent in reminding me to and that is a feeling like no other. To know that He loves me enough to hold my hand and encourage me and to remind me. He knows us and how easily we’re overwhelmed. “For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” Psalm 103:14 He knows my limitations and He strengthens me through His Word. In fact just last night, while I was on Facebook this quote came across my screen:

And as I was gearing up to make this post another "ah-ha" #moment was how in our Bibles, chapters are often divided up with headers grouping verses together. For instance Matthew 15 in my Bible has 5 such headings dividing the chapter into 5 segments of Scriptures. This means sometimes it's easy not to see the text as a whole. For instance we see here in this story about giving dogs crumbs in verses 26 & 27 but if you go down two segments to where Jesus is feeding the Four Thousand in verse 32 He says "I am unwilling to send them away hungry."

Wow! Even me a Gentile dog, washed and redeemed by the One who hears every word of every prayer I utter, whether silently or out loud, whether prayers of joy and praise, or lament and anguish. And he beckons me over and over again through His Word like this verse found in Psalm 27:8 NLT "My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me" And my heart responds, "LORD, I am coming"