But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and begged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before Him, saying, "Lord, help me." And He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly. Matthew 15:23-28 RSV

Every one of you who are true believers; you know who you are. As of up to now you have not reached the blessing that you are pleading for, have you. You should take encouragement from this story that is before us. Our Saviour did not supply the blessing at once to this woman, even though she had great faith in Jesus. He intended to provide her the request, but He waited awhile. What was He waiting for? Why is Jesus waiting to provide your appeal today?

But He did not answer her a word.Was it because her prayers were not very good? No. They were not any greater in the world. Was she not earnest enough? She was extremely so. Did she not sense her need satisfactorily? She felt it overwhelmingly. Was her circumstance not that needy? No. She was very sorrowful and deprived.Then it must have been that she had no faith? Wrong! She had such a high degree of faith; in fact she had so much that even Jesus was astounded, and said, O woman, great is your faith. So then what is the predicament?

Here are a few possibilities, although it is correct that faith brings peace, but it does not each time bring it instantly. There might be certain reasons in your life that are calling for the trial of faith, rather than the reward of faith. Remember Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith, so He knows precisely what we require. Genuine faith may be in the soul like a hidden seed, but as of yet it may not have budded or blossomed into the joy and peace that we so urgently want.

A sore quiet from our Saviour is a brutal hardship for many of us that are truly seeking Him with all our hearts. However still even heavier is the dilemma of a harsh cutting reply such as this, It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.

Numerous people while waiting on the Lord find instantaneous joy, however this is not the case with all of us. Remember the jailer? He was in a instant turned from darkness to light, but others of us are like plants that have a slower growth period. A deeper meaning of sin may be given to you rather than of a meaning of pardon. And in such a case you will have to have endurance to stand this heavy blow.

Ah, but poor heart, even though Christ may beat and bruises you, or even allows you to fail, trust Him fully! Even though He must give you an angry word, have faith in the love of His heart. Do not please, I beg you, give up! Keep looking! Continue trusting our Master! Because just as this woman received her request so you will find the conscious joy that you long so much for soon. Throw yourself on Him, and perseveringly depend on Him even where you can not yet rejoice in the hope you seek.

"Intercession" is amplification in prayer; it is going out in broadness and fullness from ones self for others. Primarily, it does not center in praying for others, but refers to the freeness, boldness and childlike confidence in praying. It is the completeness of trusting influence in the soul's approach to God, unlimited and unhesitating in its access and its demands. This influence and confident trust is to be used in prayer for others. How can I pray for you and your family? Please go to my blog at byfaith-enterprises.blogspot.com and leave a comment or prayer request there. Sign-up for the free Prayer Newsletter and also Get your FREE eBook "Where Are You At?" Then check out my New website www.byfaith-enterprises.com. If you would like a unique version of this article or other articles on prayer, faith or religion for your website, just Click Here for Unique Articles.