And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He answered her not a word …Matthew 15:22-23a
Did it ever feel like God wasn’t paying any attention to you? That is undoubtedly the feeling that this woman experienced in today’s verse. She cried. She begged. She fell to Jesus’ feet. But nothing she could do or say seemed to touch the Lord. Her story reminds me of the Bangladeshi people I met on a mission trip to Northern India. They could only find work breaking up gravel from the river banks in that city, because they were Muslim and not Hindi. Most of the local people would not hire them and so they were forced to take the lowest, most menial jobs. The way they were treated was a lot like this woman at first appears to have experienced. Yet, though she didn’t realize it at first, Jesus made His only mission trip abroad in answer to her prayers.
So if it seems as if Jesus is not listening and no one else seems to care if our prayers will be answered, we have to decide whether we will continue to believe or go away? Will we continue praying or will we give up? For all of us, there comes that moment when we must decide what to do with God’s silence. This woman who appeared to have no religious background, no friends and no encouragement, gives us a wonderful testimony, of humility and patience. She shows us that not only is God listening, but that He also cared enough to send Jesus on His long trip to earth, just for you!
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Romans 8:26 KJV
When we bow our heads to pray at the table before dinner we are apt to recite the same words night after night. But when we are shaken to the core by, an attack, whether spiritual or physical, then we cry out to the Lord in a completely different way. That groaning which the verse speaks of is poured out in our hearts with the Holy Spirit’s help. He not only knows the mind of the Father, but He also knows our deepest hurts and needs. I hope you will listen to the brief testimony which I share about a dear friend’s ultimate test of faith and how she found grace to help in time of need in her own “Sweet Hour of Prayer. “
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23 NLT
That Sunday morning, no one, least of all Diane, was ready. At 7:45 A. M., she was still snuggling down under the blankets and thinking of how wonderful it was that her father’s job with the Navy had brought their family all the way from Connecticut to Hawaii. The temperature the day before had been in the upper 70’s, and compared to snowy Southern New England, which felt like heaven! Then she heard the sound of planes flying over their house, and she sat up and looked out the window caught a glimpse of a red circle on one of the wings as the formation turned towards the harbor. Immediately the phone began ringing, and she heard the door to her parent’s room creak open and her dad’s footsteps going into the kitchen to answer. When Diane slipped out of bed and tip-toed to her doorway, she saw daddy running back into his bedroom and heard her mom yelling for her and her older brother Don to wake up. Then from the direction of the harbor came the sound of explosions such as she had never heard before and in a moment her world was changed. That little girl Diane was my mother and her dad, my grandfather, was the captain of one of the destroyers at Pearl Harbor. That morning he made it to His ship and engaged the enemy. After the attack, his ship was sent out to sea and my grandmother with mom and two brothers moved back to Connecticut, and never returned to what they had thought was heaven on earth.
Today many of us are no more ready for what lies ahead in our spiritual lives, than my family was on December 7th, 1941. Just as no one knew that the Japanese planes were coming to attack our fleet that morning, we also can never know what challenges or difficulties await us in the future. Pearl Harbor became the worst military defeat in our history because we left the harbor unguarded. Today’s verse tells us that we must also guard the harbor of our hearts, and there is no better way to do that than by prayer. But the kind of prayer that is needed means more than just sitting up in bed and watching out the window as the enemy attacks. Prayer that guards our hearts will supply ammunition for the anti-aircraft guns that protect the harbor and, watches God’s radar for any enemy incursion of our airspace. That kind of prayer doesn’t just fearfully huddle in a corner wondering what to do, but it boldly rushes to battle stations and engages the enemy. Now there are certainly times, even when we pray, that we will still face temporary defeats. But just as the Navy repaired its ships after Pearl Harbor and recruited and trained thousands of seamen and went on to win the war, we can do the same. We can begin that process by contacting our spiritual Naval headquarters. And find out what new orders God has assigned us and then, trust His command as we launch out to sea. Then, even with a war raging on, we can be thankful for His promise that He will be with us through every danger and will lead us on to victory no matter what lies ahead!
The family photo is of my mom, her brother Don and my grandparents, The bottom photo is of my grandfather, Captain A.J. Detzer, taken in 1945. This post is a reprint of an article which appeared in the 2023 Spring Issue of Breakthrough Intercessor magazine.
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