Seeking a Miracle

Read Mark 7.

Those who minister to people can identify with Jesus and how there is no end to the needs.  As far back as chapter 3, there was a physical concern that Jesus should take a break and rest.  Yet, even when He moved on, the crowds followed.  Here, in verse 24, He left the land of Israel with the apparent motive of being away for a while.

Tyre and Sidon were seaport cities of Phoenicia.  It could have served as a place for a quiet coastal retreat.  "But immediately" (v.25) Jesus was recognized by an unnamed Gentile woman.  We may all learn from her desperation in seeking Jesus' help and the test of her faith.

God performs miracles when there is a great need and individuals cast their complete dependence on Him.  It is true in salvation.  Eternal life is given to those who cast their faith in Jesus alone.  In praying for God's intervention in this life, He will often wait until we feel the great need for Him.  Then, He will wait until we are willing to only trust Him for the answer to that need.  Along the way, there will be tests of disappointment, even rejection, and waiting.  But our hope is in none of those things.  Our hope must be solidly kept in the trustworthiness and goodness of God Himself.  And, then, we have the wonderful privilege of seeing the power of God move.

In principle and in prayer, we identify with this woman.
1. Boldness.
Jesus may have wanted to stay "hidden", but she burst right into His presence.  "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

2. Dependence.
She cast herself at the feet of Jesus, begging for His help.  It was the cry of a mother who had reached the end of herself.  She realized that there was nothing she could do to fix the problem.  "Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you." (Psalm 55:22)

3. Spiritual.
She recognized that the real battle she and her daughter were facing was spiritual.  Treating symptoms would not solve the problem,  Somehow, one of Satan's minions had taken possession of this girl.  No human power could help.  God's intervention was needed to change her life.

4. Intercession.
Her request was specific and urgent.  She literally and spiritually stood in the gap between her daughter and the Lord in order to bring them together.  She sought the help of Jesus when her daughter either could not or would not.

5. The Test.
On the surface, the response of Jesus sounds harsh, uncaring, and offensive.  It was not meant to be derogatory but Gentiles were not His main mission.  In Matthew's account of this scene, Jesus said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 15:24).  When He sent our the twelve, Jesus instructed them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 10:6).  Though, at this time, Jews were His main mission, the good news was not limited to them.  Individual non-Jews did put their faith in Israel's God in the Old Testament and in Jesus in the Gospels.

For the woman, this was a test of her faith in Jesus.  She was unmoved by His seeming rejection.  Indeed, Jesus was moved by how she responded.  It began with the submissive words, "Yes, Lord."  Jesus could do anything.  All she desired was a crumb of His blessing.

6. Miracle.  
The story is not about the pain but the process.  We all want the miracle without going through the school of prayer.  Someone once said, "If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it."  Trust Him.