Veiled Opportunities

In Scripture, Jesus was always on the lookout for faith in action. The problem is that in the moment people don’t always recognise presenting difficulties as opportunities to use their faith, and can unceremoniously fail the test, causing them to be locked out of their healing and abundant life in Christ. For many this is a minefield.

In the story of the Greek woman from Syro-Phoenicia who approached Jesus asking for deliverance on behalf of her daughter, Jesus’ response could so easily have been off-putting “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs” (Mark 7:25-30).  Had she lived in our day and generation, she would have been in danger of taking Jesus’ response as an insult, referring to her as a dog, and maybe walked away.

Instead, her need for healing for her daughter galvanised her faith to stretch beyond any presenting obstacles. For her this was no time to be offended. There was too much at stake. She understood His meaning that healing was the children’s bread, and that He was sent first to the children of Israel. But she wasn’t about to waste what might have been her only opportunity for her daughter to be freed, and only Jesus could help her.

Her answer, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs”, caused Jesus to be impressed with her faith, and He immediately declared her daughter was healed. “For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter”.

However, in the Old Testament, Captain Naaman (who despite his military rank and official status was in fact a leper) began to take offence when the prophet did not immediately go out personally to meet him, but sent his servant with a message of what to do to get his healing. On top of that he was instructed to go and dip seven times in the Jordan river, which to him was a further great insult. Had he not have had wise people around him to help him contain his anger, swallow his pride and encourage him to take the prophet’s advice, he would never have been healed (2 Kings 5:1-15).

Answers to prayer come in many different forms and disguises, but are we wise enough in the moment to read the situation? Faith is always required to go beyond the natural. We’re encouraged to not be put off by presenting facts, but to stretch beyond what the eye can see to obtain the seemingly impossible. The lesson is don’t let pride or anything else, or anyone, come between you and what God has for you.

May the Lord help us to recognise these moments of testing which assail our lives, often so unexpectedly, in our quest to obtain and live the abundant life promised to us by our Saviour.