A Hopeful Word
Christian Life
Women And The Word
Ten Narratives On God's Word
Object:
Listen to the words of a mother who had lost all hope for her daughter's healing. She had already taken her to every doctor she could find. No one could help. They were saying that her daughter was possessed by a demon. No wonder she persistently begs Jesus to heal her daughter. When she encounters Jesus, not only does he heal her daughter, he gives her back the one thing she had lost and needed most -- hope.
The Mother Who Begged Jesus To Heal Her Daughter
A Hopeful Word
Mark 7:24-37
Let me tell you about my daughter. Of course, just like any mother, I am biased. But, just the same, she was beautiful. She was born with dark hair and lots of it. It was a stunning contrast to her olive-colored skin. And smiles! Oh, you would never find a child who could brighten up a room with her smile more than my child.
She was the apple of my eye. I just delighted in watching her explore her world. I adored her. I adored everything about her. So, you can just imagine what it was like for me when she got sick. I did not know what was wrong. It was terrible, really terrible, when suddenly my little darling started having these spells. She was not the little girl I knew and loved. She would become unpredictably wild, throwing herself about, unable to speak intelligently, screaming at the top of her lungs. Then, as quickly as the spell came on, it would be gone and she would lie still, staring blankly into space for hours. After that she would once again become the daughter I knew and loved until it started all over again. It was horrible.
I brought her to every kind of doctor I could find, but they could tell me nothing. They did not know what caused these attacks and they did not know how to stop them. My hopes would soar anytime someone would tell me of a new doctor in the area. But my hopes would be quickly dashed when I heard again, "I cannot do anything for her."
Can you imagine my pain as I watched her suffer? If only I could have done something to help her. I felt so frustrated. I felt so helpless. I wanted some answers. Finally, the doctors said, "It must be a demon. Your daughter is possessed by a demon." Well, that was not the answer I was looking for! I did not want to believe them. How could my sweet, beautiful little girl be possessed by a demon?
I felt tormented by the label people were putting on her. But, you know, when she was having one of those spells, I have to admit that I was afraid of her. She was wild and she possessed an uncontrollable strength. Her strength was greater than that of a grown man. There was no one that could hold her down. Even I, her own mother, was afraid of her.
At first, the spells came only once in a while, but as time went on they were more and more frequent. She was having them several times a day. I was worried that she was going to hurt herself or hurt someone else. Surely, she was not in her right mind.
I was not a religious woman by any stretch of the word. In fact, my people were enemies of the Hebrews. We did not like them and we did not like their god much better. But, it was in sheer desperation that I began to pray to God for help. There was nothing else I could do. There was nowhere else to turn.
That is when I heard about Jesus, the Hebrew carpenter, who was going about the region of Galilee preaching, teaching, and healing the sick. Now Galilee was a long way from my hometown and I knew there was no way that I could travel that far with my daughter. What if she had a fit along the way? I did not feel comfortable bringing her out of the house. I was afraid the authorities would see her and take her away from me. I was afraid that they would see that I could not control her and deem me as an unfit mother.
Traveling across a whole country to find Jesus was out of the question. However, I dreamed that he would be the answer. I heard rumors that he was making the dumb speak, the blind see, the lame walk, and the deaf hear, so I was confident that he would be able to help my daughter. Although I had hope in his ability, I had no hope that I would be able to get my daughter to him.
One day, I heard he was in the town down the road. I could not imagine that the rumor was true. After all, Jesus rarely stepped foot in our region. The Hebrews considered us to be unclean heathens, so they preferred to walk miles out of their way instead of walking through our countryside.
If Jesus was near, I had to find him. I just had to find him. I searched and searched. It was difficult to find him, because every time I inquired about his whereabouts, the Hebrews just turned their backs on me. They would not give me the time of day because I was a Gentile.
Once I found him I put my pride aside and begged him to help me. Falling at his feet, I begged. I groveled. With great persistence I pleaded for his help.
His response was shocking. I had heard that he was a loving man, but he showed me no love. His response was curt and cutting. Do you know what he called me? He called me a dog. A dog! I would not even say that to my worst enemy. But, that is what he called me. What had I done to deserve that kind of treatment? No one deserves to be called a dog. He said to me, "Let the children first be fed, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."
What would you do if someone called you a dog? I think you would probably do what most people would, either hall off and deck him or huff away in anger.
But you must remember I was desperate, absolutely desperate, to help my daughter. And I knew, deep down, that he could help her. So, I swallowed my pride and continued with my persistent plea saying, "Yes, Lord: yet even dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."
I merely wanted him to know that as an outsider to the faith even the crumbs would do. I was not demanding much from him. I had no claims on him, but I sincerely believed that just a little of his help would be enough. I was persistent in my belief that he could help me. I refused to be ignored. I refused to be put off. I believed that he was my only hope.
And he was! He was my only hope. He made my daughter well. He said, "You may go your way; the demon has left your daughter." He merely spoke the words and she was well. I went home and found that my beautiful child was once again herself. The demon was gone. There were no more spells. No more attacks. Jesus made her well! Life was filled with hope again.
Have you felt hopeless? It is a terrible spot to be in. It is hard to get oneself up in the morning and face another day, isn't it?
Have you ever felt desperate? Have you watched a loved one suffer or have you suffered yourself in a desperate situation: from addiction, with cancer, from a broken heart, with Alzheimer's, from depression?
Maybe most of you don't know what it is like to actually have a demon, but I know you have experienced the feeling of being trapped. Some feel trapped in the guilt of unforgiven sin. Others feel trapped by a cloak of shame and self-loathing. Some may experience the trap of the vicious cycle of domestic violence. Yet others know the trap of a life void of meaning and purpose. Everyone has experienced the sense of entrapment at one time or another, right? We have all run into situations where we did not know what to do or where to turn. The circumstances in life can often make us feel out of control and trapped, can't they?
Those are the times for persistence. Those are the times for persistent faith in the God of hope. Don't give up. Keep going to God. Keep on praying. Keep on hoping. Persistently believe that difficult times, struggles with illness, hopeless days, or nagging fear do not have the last word.
God does have the last word, and it is a word of victory. Just as sickness did not have the last word for my daughter, life's hardships will not have the last word for you. Listen to these words of Isaiah 35:3-4, words of promised hope: "Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have a fearful heart, 'be strong, fear not' ... for behold your God will come to save you. Then when God comes again, the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped, then shall the lame leap like a deer and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy."
Physically, my daughter was healed and I sang for joy! But she was not the only one who experienced the healing power of God. I experienced it, too. I began to believe in the God of hope. I came to believe that God would stand with me in all things. I believed that God's presence would be with me in all things. That is what gave me hope. Before I met Jesus, I felt all alone in the world. But once I met Jesus, I knew that I was not alone. God stood with me and God stands with you. That is God's promise.
Listen; just listen to God's promise for you:
But, now thus says the Lord who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.... Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you ..."
-- Isaiah 43:1-3, 5
You know, life was not perfect for us after we were touched by Jesus' healing love. There were new challenges and struggles. There were different hardships and heartaches, but there was hope. We lived in the hope of God's presence and there is no better place to be.
Be persistent in your faith. Have hope. God is with you.
The Mother Who Begged Jesus To Heal Her Daughter
A Hopeful Word
Mark 7:24-37
Let me tell you about my daughter. Of course, just like any mother, I am biased. But, just the same, she was beautiful. She was born with dark hair and lots of it. It was a stunning contrast to her olive-colored skin. And smiles! Oh, you would never find a child who could brighten up a room with her smile more than my child.
She was the apple of my eye. I just delighted in watching her explore her world. I adored her. I adored everything about her. So, you can just imagine what it was like for me when she got sick. I did not know what was wrong. It was terrible, really terrible, when suddenly my little darling started having these spells. She was not the little girl I knew and loved. She would become unpredictably wild, throwing herself about, unable to speak intelligently, screaming at the top of her lungs. Then, as quickly as the spell came on, it would be gone and she would lie still, staring blankly into space for hours. After that she would once again become the daughter I knew and loved until it started all over again. It was horrible.
I brought her to every kind of doctor I could find, but they could tell me nothing. They did not know what caused these attacks and they did not know how to stop them. My hopes would soar anytime someone would tell me of a new doctor in the area. But my hopes would be quickly dashed when I heard again, "I cannot do anything for her."
Can you imagine my pain as I watched her suffer? If only I could have done something to help her. I felt so frustrated. I felt so helpless. I wanted some answers. Finally, the doctors said, "It must be a demon. Your daughter is possessed by a demon." Well, that was not the answer I was looking for! I did not want to believe them. How could my sweet, beautiful little girl be possessed by a demon?
I felt tormented by the label people were putting on her. But, you know, when she was having one of those spells, I have to admit that I was afraid of her. She was wild and she possessed an uncontrollable strength. Her strength was greater than that of a grown man. There was no one that could hold her down. Even I, her own mother, was afraid of her.
At first, the spells came only once in a while, but as time went on they were more and more frequent. She was having them several times a day. I was worried that she was going to hurt herself or hurt someone else. Surely, she was not in her right mind.
I was not a religious woman by any stretch of the word. In fact, my people were enemies of the Hebrews. We did not like them and we did not like their god much better. But, it was in sheer desperation that I began to pray to God for help. There was nothing else I could do. There was nowhere else to turn.
That is when I heard about Jesus, the Hebrew carpenter, who was going about the region of Galilee preaching, teaching, and healing the sick. Now Galilee was a long way from my hometown and I knew there was no way that I could travel that far with my daughter. What if she had a fit along the way? I did not feel comfortable bringing her out of the house. I was afraid the authorities would see her and take her away from me. I was afraid that they would see that I could not control her and deem me as an unfit mother.
Traveling across a whole country to find Jesus was out of the question. However, I dreamed that he would be the answer. I heard rumors that he was making the dumb speak, the blind see, the lame walk, and the deaf hear, so I was confident that he would be able to help my daughter. Although I had hope in his ability, I had no hope that I would be able to get my daughter to him.
One day, I heard he was in the town down the road. I could not imagine that the rumor was true. After all, Jesus rarely stepped foot in our region. The Hebrews considered us to be unclean heathens, so they preferred to walk miles out of their way instead of walking through our countryside.
If Jesus was near, I had to find him. I just had to find him. I searched and searched. It was difficult to find him, because every time I inquired about his whereabouts, the Hebrews just turned their backs on me. They would not give me the time of day because I was a Gentile.
Once I found him I put my pride aside and begged him to help me. Falling at his feet, I begged. I groveled. With great persistence I pleaded for his help.
His response was shocking. I had heard that he was a loving man, but he showed me no love. His response was curt and cutting. Do you know what he called me? He called me a dog. A dog! I would not even say that to my worst enemy. But, that is what he called me. What had I done to deserve that kind of treatment? No one deserves to be called a dog. He said to me, "Let the children first be fed, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."
What would you do if someone called you a dog? I think you would probably do what most people would, either hall off and deck him or huff away in anger.
But you must remember I was desperate, absolutely desperate, to help my daughter. And I knew, deep down, that he could help her. So, I swallowed my pride and continued with my persistent plea saying, "Yes, Lord: yet even dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."
I merely wanted him to know that as an outsider to the faith even the crumbs would do. I was not demanding much from him. I had no claims on him, but I sincerely believed that just a little of his help would be enough. I was persistent in my belief that he could help me. I refused to be ignored. I refused to be put off. I believed that he was my only hope.
And he was! He was my only hope. He made my daughter well. He said, "You may go your way; the demon has left your daughter." He merely spoke the words and she was well. I went home and found that my beautiful child was once again herself. The demon was gone. There were no more spells. No more attacks. Jesus made her well! Life was filled with hope again.
Have you felt hopeless? It is a terrible spot to be in. It is hard to get oneself up in the morning and face another day, isn't it?
Have you ever felt desperate? Have you watched a loved one suffer or have you suffered yourself in a desperate situation: from addiction, with cancer, from a broken heart, with Alzheimer's, from depression?
Maybe most of you don't know what it is like to actually have a demon, but I know you have experienced the feeling of being trapped. Some feel trapped in the guilt of unforgiven sin. Others feel trapped by a cloak of shame and self-loathing. Some may experience the trap of the vicious cycle of domestic violence. Yet others know the trap of a life void of meaning and purpose. Everyone has experienced the sense of entrapment at one time or another, right? We have all run into situations where we did not know what to do or where to turn. The circumstances in life can often make us feel out of control and trapped, can't they?
Those are the times for persistence. Those are the times for persistent faith in the God of hope. Don't give up. Keep going to God. Keep on praying. Keep on hoping. Persistently believe that difficult times, struggles with illness, hopeless days, or nagging fear do not have the last word.
God does have the last word, and it is a word of victory. Just as sickness did not have the last word for my daughter, life's hardships will not have the last word for you. Listen to these words of Isaiah 35:3-4, words of promised hope: "Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have a fearful heart, 'be strong, fear not' ... for behold your God will come to save you. Then when God comes again, the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped, then shall the lame leap like a deer and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy."
Physically, my daughter was healed and I sang for joy! But she was not the only one who experienced the healing power of God. I experienced it, too. I began to believe in the God of hope. I came to believe that God would stand with me in all things. I believed that God's presence would be with me in all things. That is what gave me hope. Before I met Jesus, I felt all alone in the world. But once I met Jesus, I knew that I was not alone. God stood with me and God stands with you. That is God's promise.
Listen; just listen to God's promise for you:
But, now thus says the Lord who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.... Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you ..."
-- Isaiah 43:1-3, 5
You know, life was not perfect for us after we were touched by Jesus' healing love. There were new challenges and struggles. There were different hardships and heartaches, but there was hope. We lived in the hope of God's presence and there is no better place to be.
Be persistent in your faith. Have hope. God is with you.
