A crumb’s enough

She asked for a crumb. And that was faith. A crumb was enough.

Jesus had refused the Syrian Phoenician’s request for a daughter’s healing in the most emphatic terms. First, the gospel to the Jews, not yet the Gentiles. She would not be discouraged by this.

Testing her faith and her persistence, Jesus next said, “You know, in this generation, the Jews call Gentiles ‘dogs.'” She didn’t react. She didn’t turn him in for hate crime. She didn’t sue for emotional damages.

She turned His insult on its head. When you pray sometimes, you have to turn things on their heads. You have to transform utter negativity into something beautifully positive — using faith and persistence!

Yes, she replied, but even the dogs get the crumbs off their master’s table. What she wanted was her miracle! She didn’t care about her treatment.

That was it! Jesus couldn’t hide a genuine admiration for her faith and persistence. He congratulated her and granted the miracle. As it turns out, a crumb’s enough. A crumb — when it comes from God — is something extraordinarily huge.

Surprise!

I make plans for God. I pray for Him to do what I want, when I want. Then He does something totally different, and it’s always much better. It’s a miracle that I could not imagine. This pattern is Biblical: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him — 1 Cor. 2:9 NIV

Go ahead and pray for the good things you want. But be prepared to wait for His timing. Be prepared for His answer, which may be very different — and inevitably better — than what you hoped for. We are praying to a God who surprises us. He pulls the most amazing things out of His hat.

Surprise me today, God. I bring before you my desperate needs. Don’t give me the answer I want. Give me the surprise You have for me. God´s surprise makes being a Christian a lot of fun! I imagine God our Father being very much like a loving earthly father, who is thrilled to see his son/daughter delighted by a surprise gift.