How often do we pray for help or for a specific thing in our lives? If an immediate response is not evident we give up or feel that God has ignored us. Our faith is not strong enough. In this passage the persistence of the Canaanite woman is what changes Jesus. The requests of his disciples seem to fall on deaf ears. Think how we react when someone makes a request for another. We can easily ignore the issue and continue on with what we are doing. If the person asks directly, it is much more difficult to ignore and if they persist, we become more willing to grant their request. Our heroine comes not of the chosen people yet believes that this Jesus can heal her child. The request of the apostles has no effect, yet the pleading of this woman proves her faith and Jesus responds. If Jesus grants the requests of a non-believer, how much more will we receive if our faith is strong and we patiently await God’s answer to our earnest prayers.
Kathy Cusick