Publisher Shearon Hurst-Roach        www.wherepeacefulwaters.com             Issue 42      March 22, 2004

NEED IT NOW BLESSING - THE FAITH OF A MOTHER

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 15:21-28

Part 1

In this story we find a mother who has a problem and she came seeking Jesus.  Who better to seek when you have a problem?  She doesn’t waste any time trying to explain how it happened, or whether or not it was her daughter’s fault.  She gets straight to the matter and let’s the Lord know that she needs His help because her daughter is demon-possessed.

When you have a problem, especially a major one, you don’t have time to explain the hows, whys, or the when’s of it.  The only thing that matters is “Lord I have a problem and I need your help”.  Believe me - God already knows the how’s, where’s, and the when’s He is just waiting on you to bring the situation Him. 

Now think about this mother and what she is going through.  This is her child and I am sure she has been to every doctor there is to find help.  Yet her little girl isn’t getting any better. She can’t eat, sleep, or concentrate on work. Can you imagine how helpless this mother feels?  She’s losing her little girl to the enemy and nothing else matters.  I know someone has to know how it feels to feel like you are fighting a loosing battle! You have done everything you know how to do, and nothing, nothing seems to be working.  If anything things have gotten much worse.  You feel alone, isolated, like no one understands what you are going through. Sometimes it’s so bad, you can’t even find a way to explain what you are going through.  It’s a helpless feeling - and she needed help, and needed it NOW! She needed the only person who could help her: Jesus.  

You see we have lawyers for legal problems, doctors for illnesses and diseases, counselors for marriages, but if the problem is demon-possession, if all hell has broken loose and the devil is riding your back, you need Jesus, and you need Him now! It says in the Bible that this mother came and found Him and began crying out after Him. “Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David.”  She just didn’t do it once, she pleaded. She needed to get His attention, she needed His help, and she needed it now.  

So why did Jesus do exactly the opposite of what we think He should have done?  He didn’t rush to her aid. He didn’t offer any words of encouragement.  He did not agree to follow Her home.  I wonder if He even looked in her direction. No, instead Jesus remained silent. “He answered her not a word.”  Jesus was silent. 

She heard that this man called Jesus could do anything. Yet in her hour of need, in her time of desperation, He was silent.  How could He be silent now?   Can you imagine what was going on in her mind? Was she “crying out within as David did”?

 Turn and answer me, O LORD my God!
Restore the light to my eyes, or I will die.   Psalms 13:3


 O LORD, hear my plea for justice. Listen to my cry for help. 
Pay attention to my prayer, for it comes from an honest heart.  Psalms 17:1

 My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me? Why do you remain so distant?
Why do you ignore my cries for help?   Psalms 22:1

 Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me,
I become like them that go down into the pit.  Hear the voice of my supplications,
when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.   Psalms 28:1-2 

 LORD, don't hold back your tender mercies from me. 
My only hope is in your unfailing love and faithfulness.   Psalms 40:11


Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my plea!
Answer me because you are faithful and righteous.   Psalms 143:1

I have to believe that she was, after all her daughter was at home getting going through unbearable pain.  What else could she do but cry out to the Lord as David did?  Yet, in her despair He was silent.

THE SILENCE OF GOD

It’s a hard thing to deal with God’s silence, especially when you are going through and you need to hear from Him now.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we could go through life with God answering our prayers right away? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could hear God’s voice speaking to us each time we had a question, or a decision to make? Oh to hear His voice say “This is the way walk ye in it” even before we could ask?  Or wouldn’t it be nice if when we prayed He never said wait to us?  Oh the silence of God.

But the truth is, that sometimes God is silent. When God is silent do you give up on that prayer (oh I know we feel like it)?  Do you give up on asking God’s direction?  Do you give up on that lost person you’ve been praying for? Do you give up and walk away, thinking what’s the use?  How do you deal with the silence of God?  By continuing to plead your case, by praying as our Savior did in the Garden. You keep on praying until He strengthens you, until you get your breakthrough.  You don’t stop praying.

We could talk to Job about the silent treatment of God.  If ever a man dealt with the silence of God, Job did. Everything is gone, all your money, your houses, your land but most of all your children. And then when you cry out to God for help, He is silent.

And greater still was God’s silence when His son Jesus hung on the cross, crying out: “My God!  My God! Why has thou forsaken me?” There was no booming voice, no shout from heaven – Jesus seemingly suffered and died in the silence of God.  Oh the silence of God.

There will be times when you cry out in the midnight hour and the morning will come but it won’t bring any joy.  Why? You’re night is not over yet…God is silent. There will be times when you’ll fast over something for a long time, show up for prayer meetings, get to church early and meet with your prayer partners faithfully, yet God is silent.   There will be times that friends give you advice that worked for them, but doesn’t work for you. God is silent

Do you stop praying then? Is that when you say, “It’s not worth it.  All this praying and fasting.  I can’t see any results from this prayer thing so I might as well go it on my own.”  So you decide to take matters into your own hands only, to find out that you have made the situation worse.  This is when God lets you know that He is not just another solution, not just another problem solver, and not just another helper.  No, He is the only solution, the only helper, and the only problem solver.  

So, you find yourself back on your knees. This time, you need to stay right there and pray until there is an answer from heaven. God is looking for us to do what Jacob did, and say, “I won’t let go until you bless me”. God is looking for us to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. God is looking for those that will pray on and hold on and press on until victory is won.  Because if God can’t do it, you must realize it can’t be done. We need to learn to close the blinds, shut the door, turn off the TV and phone, and just cry out to the Lord.  James 5:16 says “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Don’t stop praying, pray on!   Pray on through the silence of God.

In the silence of the moment, this mother didn’t give up; she didn’t run away; she didn’t get angry, she didn’t have a pity party, nor did she cry and blame God for what she was going through.   This mother went to her knees; she moved closer to him, as close as she could get, she sought to be in his presence in a more intimate way. She placed herself at his feet and worshipped Him.  She demonstrated the depth of her faith even in the midst of the silence and the sufferings of her child.   She worshipped Jesus in the silence.

Despite the silence, despite the feeling of being rejected, despite the disciples getting in her way, it says she worshipped Him. She could have gone a long time ago but she worshipped Him. She threw herself down before Him and with long soulful sobs and she worshipped Him. That is the type of worship God is looking for.  Worship that says no matter what I am going through, I will continue to give you the praise, give you the glory, and lift up Your name. Can you worship Him when all seems down? Can you lift Him up, when all is going down?  Can you?

The Lord’s silence will increase your faith (if you don’t give up). Your faith will grow as you press your way through to victory.  The Lord’s silence will sometimes increase the blessing itself. While we wait, the blessing becomes bigger, and our hands become stronger to hold it when it reaches us.  You know there are things we ask for that God must prepare us to receive. This mother was holding fast and was willing to go through in order to get her blessing.  

Look what happened to this mother while she was waiting on the Lord, and look at how she didn’t give up.
HOLD ON PART 2 COMING…..

In God's Time
Author Unknown

"For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry"
Hab. 2:3

Mercy may seem slow, but it is sure. The Lord in unfailing wisdom has appointed a time for the outgoings of His gracious power, and God's time is the best time. We are in a hurry; the vision of the blessing excites our desire, and hastens our longings; but the Lord will keep His appointments.  He never is before His time; He never is behind.

God's word is here spoken of as a living thing which will speak, and will come. It is never a dead letter, as we are tempted to fear when we have long watched for its fulfillment. The living word is on the way from the living God, and though it may seem to linger, it is not in reality doing so.

God's train is not behind time. It is only a matter of patience, and we shall soon see for ourselves the faithfulness of the Lord. No promise of His shall fail; it will not lie." No promise of His will be lost in silence; "it shall speak." What comfort it will speak to the believing ear! No promise of His shall need to be renewed like a bill which could not be paid on the day in which it fell due -- "it will not tarry."

Come, my soul, canst thou not wait for thy God? Rest in Him and be still in unutterable peacefulness.

Do You Feel There is No Hope
Author Unknown

In your times of deep despair,
Do you feel there is no hope?
As the darkness closes in on you,
Do you feel you cannot cope?

As you struggle on through every trial,
Do you say "When will it end"?
As you cry yourself to sleep at night,
Do you wish you had a friend?

When your body's racked with aches and pains,
Do you feel you are alone?
When you think about the future,
Do you fear the great unknown?

There is someone who really cares,
And He hears your every cry.
His arms are reaching out to you,
And on Him you can rely.

When things close in around you,
He sees your fear and doubt -
He wants to hold you in His arms,
And He will never cast you out.

As you stumble through the darkness,
He will be your guiding light.
He wants to wipe away your tears,
For you are precious in His sight.

Reach out right now to Jesus,
And let Him take complete control -
He'll take that heavy burden,
And He'll touch and make you whole.

He's reaching out His arms to you,
And He wants to be your friend.
Let Him take you in His loving arms,
For His love will never end.

A TEST OF FAITH
Author Unknown

This is a true story told by one of the first missionaries to enter Russia:

In Russia before the Berlin Wall came down and freedom to worship freely was against the law, many Christians were forced to get together in secret to worship the Lord. One group of Christians were gathered together in a simple house studying the Bible when suddenly the door was thrown open violently and three Russian soldiers burst in with rifles. One of the soldiers bellowed out that anyone who wasn't a Christian could leave immediately but anyone who had come to worship God should stay.

After a moment of silence many of the people filed out of the house leaving a few people behind. One of the soldiers closed the door behind them and locked it, then the soldiers all put down the rifles and explained to the remaining few that they also were Christians but they only wanted to worship with true believers.


Could you pass such a test of your faith?

Contributors to this newsletter:
THE HOLY SPIRIT
Dana Ahern – Editing

And all of your prayers and words of encouragement
MAY THE PEACE OF GOD BE WITH YOU ALWAYS