Persistent Prayer Turns Christ’s Silence, His “No,” and “Absolutely Not” to “YES!"

From Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry

Persistent Prayer Turns Christ’s Silence, His “No,” and “Absolutely Not” to YES!

So, a Gentile Syro-Phoenician woman comes to Jesus, crying out,

“Lord, have mercy on me. My daughter is suffering terribly.” But

Jesus remains silent. Undeterred, the woman keeps crying out.

And Jesus snubs her: “I was sent only to the lost

sheep of Israel.” But she can’t believe “No” could be

his final word. “Lord, help me,” she says simply. And

then, a crushing rebuff. “It is not right to take

the children’s bread, and toss it to the dogs.” But hitting

rock bottom makes your prayers strangely powerful. “Yes,

it is right, Lord,” she contradicts him, “Even  dogs eat crumbs

that fall.” Dogs, never entitled, hungry, humble, grateful, happy.

And Jesus praises her dogged faith in his goodness and

power. Her faith catalyses the miracle she longs for. He

says, “Woman, you have great faith. Your request is granted.”

Never passively accept any apparently intractable situations.

Reality is infinitely malleable in the hands of God. We pray,

and people change, circumstances change. We change. So

keep praying, until little drops of the kindness of God

soften and change the impossible situation and your heart.

Take your little mountain-moving mustard seed of  faith in the

goodness of God, and pray, seeing the kind Jesus in your mind’s eye.

Continue praying, past God’s silence, his “No,” and “Absolutely Not,”

until Christ, charmed, says “Yes. It’s time! Go, girl, go. This way.”

Dream big and wide like childless Abraham stepping outside,

dazzled by an immensity of stars, and believing God’s power

could give him as many descendants. But don’t waste your

passion and dream-energy. Pray for things that will bring you

joy, yes, but will also bless myriad others, creating something,

in Milton’s phrase, that the world will not willingly let die.

Each of Jesus’s prayers were not answered affirmatively; neither

will each of our requests be granted. We are not wise enough

to know what best to pray for. But prayer, incredibly, does change

things. So keep praying for the shimmering dream which makes

your heart burn and quiver; pray past apparent impossibility until

the heavens open, the Spirit descends, and you live and work

and create with God’s spirit energising and filling you. Amen.

(Matthew 15 21-28)