Fight Through It

And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.” 

Luke 7:28

Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.  All you need is a mustard seed-sized amount.  Which is so small.  Tiny really.  And sometimes so difficult to have.  I am speaking from personal experience.  In a season that has left me feeling battered and bruised, I was reminded that I have to fight through it.  Let’s dive right into the sermon recap.

Sunday’s sermon landed in Mark 7:24-30.  There we see Jesus entering a house in the region of Tyre and Sidon.  He is attempting to be incognito.  No big crowds.  No speeches.  Just seeking alone time.  Well…that’s not what happened.  Jesus was well known for performing miracles.  And you know people.  People talk.  And that is how a Gentile woman tracked Him down to make a desperate request.  Her daughter was demon-possessed.  She wanted healing for her daughter, so she fell at the feet of the man whose reputation proceeded Him and made her request known.

Now in my mind, Jesus would be moved by her request and instantly heal her daughter.  The woman would be able to leap to her feet in celebration because the God of miracles had once again performed a miracle.  Clearly, the Lord’s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts because He goes in an entirely different direction.  He tells the Gentile woman that His children have to be filled first.  He lets her know that it’s not good to take children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. 

Yes…you read it right.  He called her a dog.  That would have many of us leaping to our feet.  Just not in celebration.  However, that is not what this woman does.  She has a different perspective.  She has a different level of faith.  She doesn’t hear no.  She settles in on the word “first.”  A small word.  Tiny really.  But it gives her all the hope that she needs.  She responds that even little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the children’s table.  Jesus then grants her request.  He tells her to go home.  Her daughter has been made whole.

So, what does this tell me about faith?  How can I apply her situation practically to mine?  She took what looked like an obstacle and made it an opportunity.  I am not a parent, but I can only imagine how much it would hurt to have your child unwell…demon-possessed.  She is searching for deliverance and grasping at straws.  Any solution will do.  She was willing to do whatever it took to help her child be whole.  She had fight.  She was expecting great things.  She was believing for great things.  Her energy was focused on healing.  And that is what she received.

My focus needs to shift.  And yours probably does too.  I have been so discouraged by my losses.  I settle in and focus on what God did not do for me.  I examine all the ways that I feel cheated.  I discard the mustard seed.   I forget to hope.  And hope is what I need to be holding on to.  Hope helps me to fight through it and believe that better days are coming.  I need to remain focused on healing and believing for greater things. 

Now listen, I am not going to hold you all day.  And I really could.  There are many jewels and gems that I took away from the sermon.  This is just a recap.  If you want to listen to the entire sermon, you can mosey right on over to my church’s YouTube or Facebook page.  In the meantime, shift your focus so that you will be ready for whatever blow comes your way.  I believe we can fight through it.  #wepreach