Paul makes a weird suggestion, but an inspired one. He says, “We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
But sometimes you just don't want to persevere. Prayer can hurt. You fall to your knees or writhe in your bed or cry out in anguish as you drive or walk, and nothing seems to help. You know God's there, but He's not listening. If He was, certainly you'd have something to show for it. There'd be some sort of answer. There'd be some sort of relief. But it doesn't come. There's no voice from heaven. There's no quiet whisper in your ear. There's no balm for your hurting heart.
In that dark night, we wrestle with God and we do not prevail. We get tired. We lose hope. Our muscles ache with fatigue. Our heart sags under its heavy burden. And we let go. We stop fighting. We try to rest. And as we fall into that uneasy sleep, we hear Satan's voice in our ear.
“You're right,” it says. “God has forgotten you. He doesn't care. He's going to leave you to yourself. You have to bear the pain. You have to suffer it all alone. There is no help for you.” On these days, the days when prayer hurts, Satan seems to have a point.
Begone, Satan. You have not in mind the things of God, but the things of death, the things of destruction, the things that have burned your dark soul into a hard cinder.
Jacob cries out when his hip is dislocated, but he doesn't let God go, even when he is commanded to. He holds on, and he keeps fighting. He knows God is on his side. He knows that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is a God of mercy. So he holds onto Jesus tight. He will not let Him go until He blesses him.
The Canaanite woman is a mother, and like any mother she loves her daughter. What hurts her daughter hurts her, and so when she looks to Jesus it is not for herself. No. She wants Him for her daughter, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”
The mother hopes for her daughter, and her hope is in Christ. And Paul says, “Hope does not disappoint us!” Alright, I suppose so, but why then does Jesus not answer her a word? He doesn't say no, but he certainly doesn't say yes either. If I were the Canaanite woman, I would certainly be disappointed.
But she isn't even phased. Her daughter suffers. The demon torments her beyond what any child should ever endure. And so the mother keeps at it. She'll not let Jesus turn her aside forever. And now the disciples get annoyed. They want Jesus to get rid of the foreign woman.
“Send her away,” they shout. Help her or not, they don't care, so long as the woman is gone. But the disciples' exasperation isn't having any effect. Jesus says, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
If Jesus is saying He's not here for the Canaanites, and not for this woman or her daughter, then these are very hard words. They are words that crush faith, grind it under the winepress of despair, and leave nothing behind. If Jesus isn't here for her, is He here for me?
But the woman knows better. She doesn't ask these questions, and despite Jesus's silence and open rebuke, she will not leave Him. She falls down on her knees before God Incarnate and cries out, “Lord, help me!” The Canaanite woman has confessed Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of David, and now she calls Him Lord. No one can do this apart from the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is her Lord and her God. And were not Jesus on her side, her despair would be complete. And to us, it seems like this would make Jesus next words to her even more severe. It seems like they would be the final unequivocal destruction of all her hope.
“It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” It almost makes you think that Jacob had it easier. He was in a wrestling match. All he had to do was hang on, endure some physical pain, and not let go until Jesus blessed him. There were no rebukes, no insults. Just a good honest fight.
Who could blame the Canaanite woman for giving up? She's given it the college try. She's asked twice now. And if Jesus thinks she's a dog, then why bother? But that's Satan talking. And she might be hearing those words in her ear. She might be experiencing the same pain that we feel when our prayers go unanswered. It might just be that prayer hurts for her too. But when the little dark voice whispers sweet nothings to this woman, she doesn't listen. No. She acknowledges that she's a dog. She confesses her unworthiness.
“Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Crumbs. That's all she wants. That's all she needs. Even the crumbs from the table of the Lord of life will be enough to heal her daughter, to cast out the demon, to bring her loved one peace.
Hope will not disappoint her, because her hope is born of faith, “Great faith,” says Jesus. And why is her faith great? Simple. She's not just a dog, this one. She's a bulldog, and her mouth will never let Jesus go. He has given to her the jaws which hold him, and He will never be far from her.
She receives all good things from her Lord and Master. He gives to her what she desires for her daughter's good. And as Jesus has given to the Canaanite, He has given also to you.
Great is your faith, and your faith receives the Jesus it so desires. When prayer hurts, you keep praying. When God's voice falls silent you cry out, “Lord, help me.” When He says you are unworthy of His mercy, you say, “Yes, Lord, but you will give it to me anyway. It is better to be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.”
Jesus has taken the fear, the doubt, and the anguish into his body. And that body has been nailed to the tree. He has died and your sin has died with Him. There is always an answer to your prayer, and that answer is the Crucified One. Look to Him, and see your sins forgiven. Look to Him, and see your death destroyed.
Mercy. That is who He is to you. Life. That is what He has won for you. The despair that Satan whispers into your ear is drowned out by the joy of Easter even now. And though we restrain our praise for awhile, there's a song that will be sung with unrestrained joy on Easter morning.
Jesus is risen, and so shall you rise. Your prayers are not in vain, and your pain is not without an end. He has answered your prayers and endured all you have suffered. He died your death in your place, and you will live His life forever.
Your Easter is coming, and your muscles will not be weary forever. The pain of the night of despair will be gone, because your hope comes from the cross. You know your sins are forgiven. You know your debt is paid. You know that Jesus is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep and that at the last day you will rise to live with and in Him forever.
Fear not, O Christian, the victory is won. Fear not, O Christian, your life flows from the altar and the font. The life that you have received and will receive again today will never end.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
