One of the oddest stories of the Bible is the meeting of Jesus and the Canaanite woman. The woman asks Jesus for help because her daughter is will. First Jesus ignores the woman. Then he refuses to help. He eventually heals the daughter, but not before insulting the woman. From this strange story, we learn a few things about persistent faith.
First, persistent faith does not give up on the first try. It is easy to quit once we meet some obstacles. We give ourselves credit for trying and forget about our goal. We think God has two possible answers to our prayers: “Yes” and “No.” In fact there is a third possibility: “Not yet.” The biblical record, from Moses to the Apostle Paul to Jesus himself, demonstrates that God is sometimes very slow in answering our prayers. Persistent faith does not give up on the first try.
Second, persistent faith is not easily discouraged. Your persistent faith will annoy some people. Some will be annoyed by your attitude. Some will feel judged by you. They may want you to keep quiet about your faith. They may try to talk you out of your faith. Don’t let them. Persistent faith is not easily discouraged.
In our sermon this Sunday we will be talking about persistent faith.