You ever pray about something and the response feels… off?
Not silence exactly. But not what you hoped either.
Like you reached out in faith, and instead of a clear yes, you got something that almost sounds like a pushback.
So now you’re wondering… is this a no?
Or is something else happening?
Let’s see what the Scripture actually says.
“And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid.
For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.
And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.
And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.
And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.”
(KJV)
She came from the outside
Jesus enters a region where He isn’t publicly known.
He even tries to stay hidden.
But it says… “he could not be hid.”
This woman hears about Him.
And she comes.
Not part of Israel.
Not part of the expected group.
But she comes anyway.
Falls at His feet.
And asks.
Do you see that first move?
She didn’t let where she came from stop her.
The response that surprises people
Jesus says:
“Let the children first be filled…”
That’s Israel.
Then He adds:
“It is not meet to take the children’s bread… and cast it unto the dogs.”
That sounds hard.
Almost like rejection.
That’s not what many expect, is it?
So what do you do with that?
Walk away?
Take it as a no?
She didn’t argue… she responded
“Yes, Lord…”
She didn’t fight the statement.
She didn’t get offended.
But she didn’t back off either.
“Yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.”
She found a way to stay in the conversation.
She stayed in faith… even in what sounded like resistance.
Do you see the difference?
She didn’t deny what He said.
She leaned into it.
That response unlocked everything
“For this saying go thy way…”
Not for begging harder.
Not for repeating the request.
“For this saying.”
What she said revealed what she believed.
“The devil is gone out of thy daughter.”
And when she got home?
It was already done.
No delay.
No process.
Complete.
This lines up with a bigger pattern
Faith doesn’t quit when things feel unclear.
“Ask, and it shall be given you… seek… knock…”
(Matthew 7:7)
Persistence matters.
And so does how you respond.
“The just shall live by faith”
(Hebrews 10:38)
Not just start by faith.
Live in it.
Even when the moment feels uncertain.
But let’s be real about what happens inside
Most people would have walked away.
That response from Jesus would have felt like a wall.
And something inside would say… see, it’s not for you.
Or… this isn’t going to happen.
So you pull back.
Quietly.
Without even realizing it.
Is that what you’ve done before?
Felt resistance… and assumed it meant stop?
Look at what she actually did
She stayed.
She listened.
She responded.
And she kept her focus on the outcome.
Her daughter being free.
Nothing else mattered more than that.
Another place shows the same kind of persistence:
“And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him…?”
(Luke 18:7)
Do you see the pattern?
Staying in it.
So what does this look like for you?
It might not come in the way you expect.
It might not sound like a clear yes at first.
But instead of pulling back… you stay.
You respond.
You hold onto what you know about Him.
Not what the moment feels like.
What would that look like in your situation right now?
Here’s what you can’t ignore
What sounded like resistance… wasn’t the end.
It became the turning point.
Her response revealed her faith.
And everything changed from there.
So be honest.
When things don’t sound the way you expected… do you step back… or do you lean in and stay?
Call to Action: The Question That Demands an AnswerIn Acts 2:37 Peter and the Apostles were asked the question – What Shall We do? And in Acts 2:38 Peter answered, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Do you understand this? After hearing the gospel and believing, they asked what should would do. The answer hasn’t changed friend, Peter clearly gave the answer. The question for you today is, Have you receieved the Holy Spirit Since you believed? If you’re ready to take that step, or you want to learn more about what it means to be born again of water and Spirit, visit: Come, and let the Spirit make you new. |
