The Faith of a Gentile Woman Part 1: What to do in the silence

The Faith of a Gentile Woman Part 1: What to do in the silence

I met the most amazing woman in Scripture this past weekend. Her name is not mentioned, but she is remembered for her faith. She is a Gentile. She is a woman. Already two strikes against her. But she is a mom who finds herself in a desperate situation. You see, her daughter, whom she loves, is possessed by an evil spirit. She had heard that a man called Jesus, who was known for healing, had come to town. She was at the end of her rope. He was her absolute last resort. She went against all the rules of her culture to go to Him. 


She came to Him immediately and fell at His feet. It didn’t matter to her that she was a woman or that she was a Gentile. She was desperately resolved to have her daughter healed. 

She begged and she pleaded for Jesus to heal her daughter. Jesus did not respond right away. I wonder what His silence did to her spirit in that moment. Silence can be so loud sometimes can't it? It is in the silence that our own inner voices shout at us and I can only imagine what her inner voice could have been saying to her because I know what mine would be saying: 

• "I'm not good enough for Jesus to heal my daughter." 
• "I'm just a woman. I don't matter to these men."
• "No one else could help me. Why did I think Jesus would?"

In the silence we must not let our emotions rule our heart. Our emotions will lie to us and lead us down a path to destruction. 

Jesus had a purpose in not answering her right away. He wanted to draw out and strengthen her faith. It was a test for her to see how resolved she was in seeking help for her daughter. And He wanted to do this, not just for her, but for the disciples watching. 

Silence from heaven doesn't always mean "No." It can mean, "Not this. Not now. Not yet."

So the next time you are desperately resolved to seek help from Jesus, don't take His silence as a closed door. Use the silence as an opportunity to strengthen your faith and to draw near to Him. In the end not only will your faith be strengthened, but the faith of those around you will be strengthened as well. 

Be strong and immovable. 

Stand firm. 

Be courageous. 

Never give up. 

That, my friend, is how God takes ashes and turns them into beauty. 

(There is so much to learn from this woman that I am working on multiple blogs, so stay tuned).