Victory Through Perseverance
Matthew 15
KJV
27+ And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
I was amazed by this response from the Canaanite mother who came to plead on behalf of her daughter who was experiencing some spiritual challenges.
Jesus wanted to test her faith by saying what may be regarded today as an unpleasant comment. Read it.
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
25+ Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
26+ But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.
Did you read this?
Matthew 15:26
NIV
[26] He replied, “It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs.”
Dogs? Just because I’ve come to seek help? Oh no!! Surely this is enough to put away anyone making a plea or a request, as it sounds offensive but not this woman.!
Read her response
Matthew 15:27
NIV
[27] “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table.”
She did not doubt what Jesus said but she also gave a profound response, a response that touched the heart of Jesus. She said, “ master, with all due respect in case you’ve forgotten, let me remind you, even the crumbs that fall from the table are delicacies to dogs!
(Please note, she said these while smiling! Not in a combatant disrespectful manner!)
At this saying of her’s Jesus had no option but to yield to her request. He understood and interpreted her response as an expression of faith. Read it;
Matthew 15:28
NIV
[28] Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
This is victory through perseverance! This woman instead of walking away stood her ground, regardless of how provocative Jesus’ answer to her was, she stood her ground!
Beloved, regardless of what the negatives are or may be; stand your ground until your request is granted. See these negatives as a test of your resolve.
When I was young and TV sets were not very common, so we often trooped to watch one in a house where we were not entertained! Our parents could not afford one so we were treated as outcasts!
At six pm every evening we would go to watch Bonanza,(?) featuring Dan Blocker, Pernell Roberts and also The Saint etc. We would be accused of not taking our baths therefore we are smelling! We were not allowed to cross a demarcated zone even though the TV set was placed outside.
Yes. All manner of insults would be rained on us, with strict restrictions among which is not to talk, laugh or shout! Reader, who watches an exciting film without engaging in any of these? But these were the rules. The intent was to make things intolerable so we quit!
Like the woman mentioned above, we stood our ground regardless of the provocations and insults because we wanted to enjoy ourselves! We were focused, we defied all odds to remain and watch the TV. We never walked away.
Poverty teaches lessons, one such lesson is perseverance. This we learnt from our youth due to the circumstances we found ourselves in. Little did we know we were preparing ourselves to face the challenges in life.
Dear reader, regardless of provocations, no matter the unpleasant comments, ‘go and comes’ (sic) that may be thrown in your path; persevere for they are the trials of your faith and patience.
Do not walk away from the prize before you because of insults, stand your ground and victory will be yours. Always remember, “no thorns no crown! “If you can wear the crown of thorns, you’ll have no difficulty wearing that of gold!
As Paul said ;
Acts 14
KJV
22+ Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Yes, we must go through hazards to win a victory, this is a principle of life we can not escape but must experience. The Canaanite woman walked away after receiving a commendation from Jesus. “ Great is Thy Faith !” This can also be said of you, Great is your perseverance!
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