Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment. Matthew 15:23-28
Persevere
A Canaanite woman came to Jesus with her humble plea to help her daughter who was tormented by a demon. But Jesus did not answer a word. It wasn’t that she just asked Jesus once; she continued to beg and plead for mercy. Yet Jesus acted as though he didn’t hear her.
When the Savior pretended not to hear the woman’s plea, Jesus was not rebuffing her or being rude to her. There was no unwillingness to help her, but through his silence he sought to test and strengthen her faith. Jesus wanted her to persevere in her plea by the strength supplied from God through the promise of his Word.
Jesus will use life’s circumstances for the great benefit of humbling us and teaching us to steadfastly cling to the promises of God’s Word. A persevering faith is for our good so that when our Savior comes back, we will not have disowned him in unbelief. But, by the power of God, we will have remained faithful to Jesus so that through him, we will enter eternal life.
We praise our Savior that though there are times we always don’t understand the way he treats us, we know that he has our best interests in mind. So, in all circumstances we thank Jesus for helping us persevere and grow in our saving faith.
Prayer:
Jesus, the most important thing for me is to have faith in you as my Savior. Through testing and trials leads me to cling to the precious promises of your Word so that my faith will be sustained until the end when you will take me to glory of heaven. Amen.
Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” Matthew 15:21-22
Don’t Think You Are Not Welcome
This woman had every reason to stay away from Jesus. She was a Canaanite. Jesus was a Jew. For centuries, there had been a separation between Jews and Gentiles. The Canaanites were not part of Israel. They were not heirs of the Old Testament covenant in the same way the Jewish people were.
Yet she came anyway.
Desperation certainly played a role. Her daughter was suffering terribly. But there was something more. This woman believed that Jesus could help. She even addressed him as “Lord, Son of David,” recognizing him as the promised Messiah. Somehow, she had come to trust that this Jewish teacher was more than a teacher. He was the Savior.
What happened next might seem discouraging at first. Jesus initially remained silent. Then he spoke of being sent to the lost sheep of Israel. Yet the woman did not give up. She continued to plead for mercy. She trusted that Jesus’ compassion was greater than the barriers that seemed to stand between them.
And she was right. By the end of the account, Jesus praised her faith and granted her request. Her daughter was healed, and the outsider was welcomed.
What a beautiful picture of God’s grace toward us. By nature, we too were outsiders. Sin separated us from God. We had no claim upon his favor and no right to stand in his presence. Yet he came to save the world. Through his perfect life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection, he opened the door of salvation to all people.
Like the Canaanite woman, we approach Jesus empty-handed. We come seeking mercy, not deserving rewards. We come confessing our need, not our worthiness. And like that woman, we discover that Jesus welcomes us.
So come to him boldly. The mercy you seek is found in him, and his welcome is greater than you ever expected.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for welcoming me into your family through your saving grace. Amen.
And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Ephesians 2:22
The Spirit Connects Us
People are more connected than ever before. With a few taps on a screen, we can communicate with family members across the country or follow the lives of people around the world. Yet many people still feel isolated and alone. Technology can connect devices, but it cannot create the deep spiritual connection that human hearts need.
God provides something far better.
In Ephesians chapter 2, Paul describes believers as living stones in a great spiritual building. Christ is the cornerstone. The apostles and prophets provide the foundation through their inspired Scriptures. Then Paul says something remarkable: “You too are being built together.”
Notice that Paul does not say believers are being built separately. He says they are being built together. Christians are not isolated pieces scattered across a field. We are joined into one structure, one holy temple, one dwelling place for God.
Who makes that happen? The answer is found in the final words of the verse: “by his Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit is the divine connector. He connects us to Christ through the gospel. Through the Word and baptism, he creates faith in our hearts and unites us to our Savior. But he also connects us to one another. Every believer shares the same Lord, the same faith, the same forgiveness, and the same eternal hope because the same Holy Spirit has brought us all into God’s family.
That truth is especially comforting when we feel alone. Sometimes we may feel disconnected from others. We may even feel forgotten or overlooked. Yet the Spirit reminds us that we belong. We are part of something much bigger than ourselves. We are living stones in God’s holy temple, joined together by his gracious work.
The Spirit who called you to faith has connected you forever to Christ and to his people. That connection is stronger than any earthly bond because it is God’s own work.
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, thank you for bringing me to faith in Jesus and connecting me to your family of believers. Strengthen my unity with fellow Christians and bless our lives together. Amen.
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1 Judge me favorably, O Lord, because I have walked in my integrity. In the Lord I have trusted. I have not wavered. 2 Test me, O Lord, and examine me. Refine my thoughts and my emotions, 3 for your mercy is in front of my eyes, and I keep walking in your truth.
Separation From Evil
4 I do not sit with deceivers. I do not associate with hypocrites. 5 I hate the company of evildoers. I do not sit with the wicked.
Affirmation of Innocence and Love for God
6 I wash my hands from sin, so I can march around your altar, O Lord, 7 to shout thanks to you and to proclaim all your wonderful deeds. 8 Lord, I love the house where you reside, the place where your glory dwells.
Separation From Evil
9 Do not snatch my soul away along with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, 10 who grasp wicked schemes in their hands, whose right hands are full of bribes.
Affirmation of Innocence and Prayer for Redemption
11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity. Redeem me and be merciful to me. 12 My feet stand on level ground. In the assemblies I will bless the Lord.
1 To you, O Lord, I will lift up my soul. 2 In you I have trusted, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame. Do not let my enemies triumph over me. 3 All who hope in you will never be put to shame, but those who are treacherous for no reason will be put to shame.
A Prayer for Forgiveness
4 Make known to me your ways, O Lord. Teach me your paths. 5 Make me walk in your truth and teach me, because you are the God who saves me. In you I hope all day long. 6 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and your mercy, for they are from eternity. [1] 7 Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways. According to your mercy remember me, because of your goodness, O Lord. 8 Good and upright is the Lord. Therefore, he instructs sinners in the right way. 9 He directs the humble to what is just, and he teaches the humble his way. 10 All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. 11 For the sake of your name, O Lord, you forgive my guilt, although it is great.
A Prayer for a Godly Life
12 Who, then, is the man who fears the Lord? The Lord will instruct him in the way he chooses. 13 That man will enjoy a good life, and his descendants will possess the land. 14 The guidance [2] of the Lord is with those who fear him. His covenant will give them knowledge.
A Second Prayer for Protection
15 My eyes are always on the Lord, because he frees my feet from the net. 16 Turn toward me and be gracious to me, because I am lonely and afflicted. 17 The distress of my heart increases. [3] Bring me out of my anguish. 18 See my affliction and my trouble, and take away all my sins. 19 See my enemies— how they have increased, and how violently they hate me! 20 Guard my life and rescue me. Do not let me be put to shame, for I have taken refuge in you. 21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because I wait for you. 22 Redeem Israel, O God, from all its distress!
Footnotes
Psalm 25:6 Or from of old
Psalm 25:14 The Hebrew word used here implies the kind of advice given by a close friend and confidant.
Psalm 25:17 Or, following an alternate reading of the Hebrew, relieve the distress of my heart
1 The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. 2 He causes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
The Shepherd Protects His People
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
The Royal Host Provides for His People
5 You set a table for me in the presence of my foes. You drench my head with oil. [1] My cup is overflowing. 6 Surely goodness and mercy will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. [2]
Psalm 24
The King of Glory
Heading
By David. A psalm.
The King of Glory Owns the Whole World
1 The earth is the Lord’s and everything that fills it, the world and all who live in it, 2 because he founded it on the seas, and he established it on the rivers. [3]
The King of Glory Is Served by a Holy People
3 Who may go up to the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, whose soul is not set on what is false, who does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God who saves him. 6 Such are the people of Jacob who look for the Lord, who seek your face. [4]Interlude
The King of Glory Comes
7 Lift up your heads, you gates. Lift yourselves up, you ancient doors, and the King of Glory will come in. 8 Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, you gates. Lift up, you ancient doors, and the King of Glory will come in. 10 Who is he, this King of Glory? The Lord of Armies—he is the King of Glory. Interlude [5]
Footnotes
Psalm 23:5 Scenting someone with perfumed olive oil was a part of celebrations. The verb used here is not the verb used for anointing someone to an office.
Psalm 23:6 Literally for length of days or for days without end
Psalm 24:2 Or ocean currents
Psalm 24:6 Literally this is the generation (or circle) of those who seek him, who seek your face Jacob. The syntax of the verse is difficult. It appears that in the Hebrew Jacob should be understood as an apposition to those who seek him. The Greek reads the generation of those who look for him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Psalm 24:10 The Hebrew selah seems to indicate a musical interlude for reflection.
22 I will declare your name to my brothers. In the midst of the congregation I will praise you. 23 You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Stand in awe of him, all you descendants of Israel! 24 For he has not despised nor detested the affliction of the afflicted. He has not hidden his face from him, but when he cried out to him, he heard. 25 You are the source of my praise in the great congregation. [1] I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who fear him.
The Glory of Messiah’s Kingdom
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied. Those who seek him will praise the Lord— may he live in your hearts forever! [2] 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before you. 28 For the kingdom belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. 29 All the rich of the earth will eat and bow down. All who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive. [3] 30 Descendants will serve him. For generations people will be told about the Lord. 31 They will come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet to be born— because he has done it.
Footnotes
Psalm 22:25 This verse may mean that the Son praises the Father in the great congregation (as in verse 22) or that the Father praises the Son in the great congregation. The first option seems to fit the context best.
Psalm 22:26 Or may your hearts live forever
Psalm 22:29 The ancient versions read my soul will live for him rather than my soul will not live.
For the choir director. According to “Doe of the Dawn.” [1]
A psalm by David.
Part One: The Messiah’s Suffering
The Messiah’s Plea
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? My groaning does nothing to save me. 2 My God, I call out by day, but you do not answer. I call out by night, but there is no relief for me. [2]
God’s Help in the Past
3 Yet you are seated as the Holy One, praised by Israel. 4 In you our fathers trusted. They trusted and you delivered them. 5 They cried out to you, and they were rescued. They trusted in you, and they were not disappointed.
God’s Present Absence
6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me. They sneer. They shake their heads. 8 They say, “Trust in the Lord.” [3] “Let the Lord deliver him. Let him rescue him, if he delights in him.” [4]
The Mutual Love of Father and Son
9 But you are the one who brought me out of the belly. You made me trust when I was at my mother’s breasts. 10 I was cast on you from the womb. From the belly of my mother you have been my God. 11 Do not be distant from me, for distress is near, and there is no one to help.
The Power of His Enemies
12 Many bulls surround me. Strong bulls from Bashan encircle me. 13 Enemies open their mouths wide against me, like a lion that tears its prey and roars. 14 Like water I am poured out. All my bones are pulled apart. My heart has become like wax. It has melted in the middle of my chest. 15 My strength is dried up like broken pottery, and my tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth. You lay me in the dust of death. 16 For dogs have surrounded me. A band of evil men has encircled me. They have pierced [5] my hands and my feet. 17 I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me. 18 They divide my garments among them. For my clothing they cast lots.
The Greater Power of God
19 But you, O Lord, do not be distant. O my Strength, come quickly to help me. 20 Deliver my life from the sword, my only life from the power of the dog. 21 Save me from the mouth of the lion. From the horns of the wild oxen you have answered me. [6]
Footnotes
Psalm 22:1 This may be the name of the tune. An alternate reading is help at dawn.
Psalm 22:2 Or I am never silent
Psalm 22:8 Literally roll [your troubles] to the Lord
Psalm 22:8 The first part of the quotation is addressed to the suffering Messiah. The second part is addressed to their fellow mockers, so they are marked as two separate quotations.
Psalm 22:16 The reading they have pierced is found in some Hebrew manuscripts, including one of the oldest, as well as in other ancient versions. Most Hebrew manuscripts read like a lion instead of a verb.
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