Dearly Beloved,

IN SPITE OF ALL OBSTACLES

"A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, ‘Lord, Son of
David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from
demon-possession’" (Matthew 15:22 NIV).

Ideally, a mother can do anything to get something for her children. She can go
any length to see that she gets the desired result for her children. This
message is about a woman who sought help for her daughter that was
demon-possessed. In spite of the obstacles she encountered, she did not give up
until she got what she wanted.

Jesus Christ withdrew from the land of the Jews, and went to the region of Tyre
and Sidon, possibly to have some rest from the teeming Jewish crowd. A woman
from that region came to Him and begged Him. The content of her cry was that
Jesus should have mercy on her and heal her daughter who was terribly suffering
from demon possession. Her prayer was short. She prayed with humility. She was
fervent and modest. She showed respect. Although she was not a believer, she
demonstrated total reliance on the mercy of Jesus. What a good example for us
today in our prayers to God!

Jesus did not answer her initially. It does not mean that He did not hear her
plea or that He wanted to ignore her. He might be testing her faith and
persistency. He might even want to teach His disciples a lesson from the event.
This was the first seeming obstacle—a psychological obstacle. In spite of the
inaction of Jesus, it was apparent that the woman did not give up. She continued
to plead for mercy. The reaction of the disciples showed this. They wanted Jesus
to send the woman away so that she would no longer disturb them with her
supplication. Their words might also suggest that they wanted Jesus to do
something tangible for the woman. This was the second seeming obstacle—a
social obstacle.

Jesus’ answer was like adding insult to injury for the woman – she was not
qualified to receive His mercy! Jesus was sent first to the Jews, then to other
people. He came as their expected Messiah. He came to preach the gospel Himself
to the Jews only. Afterward the gospel was preached to the Gentiles, but the
ministry of Jesus was confined almost entirely to the Jews. He confirmed this in
the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20. This was the third seeming
obstacle—another social or religious obstacle.

What kind of obstacles are you facing as this year is gradually running to an
end? How are you reacting to these obstacles? No matter the obstacle, "if you
believe, you would see the glory of God" (John 11:40 NIV). The conclusion of
this story next week will attest to this.

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
+234 805 515 9591
http://www.thewordthruthenet.org/
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I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will
have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted
in my body, whether by life or by death. FOR TO ME, TO LIVE IS CHRIST
AND TO DIE IS GAIN (Philippians 1:20-21, NIV).




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