“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…Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.” (Mt 15:22, 25 AV)
There is an interesting detail here. The woman spoken of here is not Jewish. The initial rejection from Christ was based on that fact. He states He was sent to the lost sheep of Israel first. This did not prevent Him from Gentile ministry. What this did do was to prioritize Jewish ministry. When the Gentile woman cried out, she addresses Jesus as Lord. But also framed her address in the kingship of the Messiah. She cried after Him as a benevolent King. However, when she approached, falling down at the feet of Jesus, her only address was a divine one. Not that calling after Jesus as the Messiah was incorrect. Rather, the absence of His kingly title while solely addressing Him as God was the missing key. Worship, in the form of faith, was what Jesus rewarded. Her faith was evident in her approach. She called from a crowd. But not until her faith was matured by falling at the feet of Jesus, was she truly worshipping the One from whom she needed intervention.
One wonders how much of our prayer life includes worship. What I mean is, does our prayer life begin where the LORD’s prayer teaches us to begin? The opening statement in the LORD’s prayer acknowledges who and what God is. The opening statement agrees with God that God is God. He rules in the affairs of men. Our Father, which art in heaven, hollowed by Thy name. To hollow the name of God means to set Him apart from all which He has created. It means, in our minds and hearts, we set apart God as uniquely God. Before we ask for His will on earth as it is in heaven, we set our hearts upon the truth that God is God and there is no one else. Before we seek our daily needs; physical, emotional, and spiritual; we agree with God that God is God, and He can do all things. We agree with Him that He is the creator of all things and, in His wisdom, determines what our needs are and how they will be met. Before we seek divine mercy and the strength to forgive others, we come to the truth that in God alone, there is forgiveness. It is our creator who has been offended. He demands of His creation compliance to His will. Perfect compliance. If God is just one of many to whom we go for eternal forgiveness, we will never attain it. Lastly, if we seek deliverance from temptation, and the places from which temptation comes, then believing with all our hearts that God is in heaven, that He alone is God, and that His will is certain, our petition is but vain. Answered prayer comes by the way of worship. Not merely in seeking and asking.
This mother had a voice! It was loud enough to hear over a crowd. She was desperate for her daughter. No one could question her sincerity. She did not allow the reality of her lineage to frustrate her in seeking relief. She was humble. She knew she had no right to an audience with the King of kings. This mother’s concern was for her daughter. That is all she cared about. But her emotional state did not gain answered prayer. Her loud and impudent request did not heal her daughter. This mother’s sincerity did not make her daughter whole. What worked? When this mother broke through the crowd and fell at the feet of Jesus, she proved her faith in the divine benevolence of Jesus Christ. It was her faith, which was her worship, that brought an answer to prayer. We are told that we are to ask in faith, nothing wavering. If we do, we will not receive anything from the LORD. Believing God is capable and willing is the key to seeing God do what God wants desperately to do. Believing is humiliating. It takes a desperate and willing heart to depend on an outside person for the absolute needs of the soul. This is what she did. Her prayer turned efficacious because she worshipped. Using titles wasn’t enough. Sincerity was not enough. Intention was not enough. It all boiled down to worship, manifested by faith, that turned a deaf ear into a ‘yes’.
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