“O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
I’ve heard people discuss and look for formulas for miracles. I’ve heard people say that you don’t need to ask for miracles because God knows what you need already. I’ve heard people say that you need to ask multiple times for miracles for them to happen. I have heard other people say that you should ask once and only once for God to do something miraculous.
The Canaanite woman in Matthew 15 who came to Jesus for a miracle asked a lot of times, she cried out loudly, she knelt at the feet of Jesus, she reasoned with Him, and she recognized Him for His true identity as Lord and Messiah. Are these the steps what we are to take for miracles?
Jesus doesn’t say, “congratulations! You got the secret formula right! I’m surprised since you are a Gentile and not a Jew.” No, He does not highlight any of her efforts or displays. What she did was not important. What was important?
Jesus tells us that it was her faith! The driving force behind her actions was faith! That’s what got the attention of Jesus; that’s what moved the hands of the creator to heal and free.
So what do we do to get miracles? Do we follow the Five Steps of the Canaanite Woman Program?
Whether we ask God once, many times, quietly, loudly, or even if we do not ask at all… each of these must be done out of faith. Faith opens the door for miracles.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to do something out of faith. Perhaps you have been doing a lot of things, and God wants you to do nothing out of faith (like sabbath, for example). Maybe God is asking you to stop trying to do all of the right things all of the right number of times to convince Jesus to do something for you.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.
Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!
*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 400-406, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 15:21-28) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).