Faith and Persistence

I love Charles Spurgeon. His teachings and sermons have so much gems concerning God's Word and find myself always feeling refreshed reading his work. So this past week I came across a devotional that really spoke to my heart. I've read this Biblical account before and I always wondered why Jesus answered the way He did in Matthew 15:21-28. It was a passage where it looks as if Jesus is ignoring this woman and as if He shows some prejudice. But I learned this wasn't the case.

²¹ Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”
²³ But He answered her not a word.
And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”
 ²⁴ But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
 ²⁵ Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
 ²⁶ But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”
 ²⁷ And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
 ²⁸ Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

This woman came after Jesus because she had a problem. Her daughter was demon-possessed and this mother sought help from the Lord knowing He could get rid of it. She persisted after Him.

He intended to give it, but He waited awhile.-Charles Spurgeon 

Why did He wait? I don't know the answer to this but it does teach me one thing. In her persistence, the Lord answered her prayer. She could have got discouraged and walked away...then what of her faith? I think in our persistence we get stronger in our faith. It might look like He isn't answering, it might look like He doesn't want to answer but we still keep asking because we know  He is able to answer...We know He can work so we keep asking.

Pastor Chuck Smith has a comment on this which I gleaned from...

This Gentile was crying out to the Lord for her daughter to be healed. The response wasn't immediately encouraging. He first just seemed to ignore here. Then He was suggesting that she didn't have the a right to come to Him, as she was a Gentile. The disciples were discouraging her as well. But she continued to cry out to Him and to call Him "Lord."
Jesus ultimately healed the woman's daughter and commended her for her faith. "O woman, great is your faith!" Jesus never commended any of His disciples for their great faith, but He commended this Gentile for her faithful persistence.
What would He say to us relative to our persistence in prayer? If our prayers are answered partly based on our faith, is it any wonder that we don't see many miracles happening?

This account teaches me to have more faith when I pray and to stop praying halfheartedly. It teaches me to come to Jesus with an expectation He will work and to quit doubting His hand on a certain situation. I often pray but sometimes at the back of my mind, I wonder if He'll even work. I doubt He cares...so I pull back and retreat.
But it isn't true. He does want me to know He cares.
Jesus wants me to keep asking with but with my WHOLE HEART because He wants to reveal He will work. My prayers need to change...no more mediocre requests and complacent prayers. I need to believe.