A drop of faith

I want to share a portion of a devotion from Dene Ward that humbled and inspired me:

"That reminds me of a woman 2000 years ago who understood the value of leftovers. Her little daughter was demon-possessed, so ill she could not travel, but her mother had heard of someone who might be able to help, who even then was in hiding from the crowds on the border of her country. It took a lot for her to seek him out, first leaving her sick child in someone else’s care, then approaching this Jewish rabbi, a type who had either reviled or ignored her all her life; but a desperate mother will make any sacrifice to save her child.

"Sure enough, even though she addressed him by the Messianic title, “Son of David,” he answered her not a word, Mark 7:22,23. Still she persisted, and this time she was insulted—he called her a dog. Oh, he was nicer about it than most, using the Greek word for “little pet dog,” kunarion, rather than the epithet she usually heard from his kind—kuno, ownerless scavenging dogs that run wild in the streets, but still he made her inequality in his eyes obvious.

"This woman, though, was ready to accept his judgment of her, Even the dogs get the crumbs, sir. Moreover, she understood that was all she needed. This man, whose abilities she had heard of from afar, was more than just a man, and even the tiniest morsel of his power was enough to heal her child, even from a distance."

Do I have enough faith to believe that even a drop of God’s power and strength could change everything in an instant? I like to think so, but is it true? I’m doubtful that it is. I put God in these boxes that limit him based on my worldly tendencies and inclinations. Why? Because I am short sighted and weak. I do have short and very sweet glimpses of God’s hugeness and it’s those brief moments that keep me coming back for more.

Lately I have really been struggling with the purpose of my recent challenges and struggles with parents but this put it in perspective. Am I humble enough to accept God’s plan for my life, even if it’s not what I expect or want? I haven’t been. I’ve been saying that I know there’s a plan in all this but have really struggled to lay down my frustrations and confusions over everything. Have I approached God with contentment and confidence, knowing that if God wanted to and needed to He could change the circumstances in my life that seem to be a thorn in my side? Nope. I want to accept the circumstances of each moment with complete contentment knowing that God designed that moment for me. That it is his best for me.

I pray that you move through today with such confidence and hope in the same God that the desperate mother sought out.