We made it to Ghana !!! This month my team and I are serving in a town about 1hour outside of Accra, the capital city of Ghana. We are seeing with Pastor Calvary and his family in there church and school!!
We started ministry yesterday and we went to do check ins and door to door ministry in the town!! We went and traveled to different church members houses and just asked how they were doing, how we could pray with them, and also just had a conversation!
The first house that we went to was a cement block maker house! His name was Arnold and his wife’s name was Biatress. Now Pastor Calvary met them a few month ago and has been checking in on them through out the past few months. Beatrice has started to come to the church but on on occasions that she “has time”.
So we were just sharing with her and Arnold about what we had been learning lately from God and just about what they though about faith.
What I felt that I needed to share was what I had read in my bible that morning!! It is Matthew 15: 21-28. This story is about the unwavering Faith of a Woman.
You see this story is about a woman who was Canaanite. As a Canaanite this means is that her family was not from Israel. So it was very different that she was seeking after Jesus!
In verses 21-23 the women cry’s out to Jesus to heal her daughter and he does not answer her and keeps walking. But she does not stop she continues to follow him crying out to him. In verse 24 Jesus finally says “I was sent only for the lost sheep of Israel.” Now at this comment the women got in-front of Jesus and knelt down and begged for his help!
In Verse 26 Jesus says “It is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs.” But still the women had faith and knew that Jesus was the man that could help her. So she replied in verse 27 “Even the dogs eat the crumbs hat fall from their master’s table.”
To this Jesus replied “‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed at that moment.”
Now think about how much faith this woman must have had. She not only went up to Jesus knowing that he was not going to listen because she was Canaanite. But when he said not she knelt before him and did not leave until she knew that her daughter would be healed.
SHE DID NOT GIVE UP FOR ANYTHING!! HER FAITH DID NOT WAVER! Even when the Man that she knew could help her said no to her SHE STILL FOUGHT!!
When I shared this with Beatrice I wanted her to know what life is not easy and sometimes it does not feel like God is listening. But to have faith that God is more powerful then anything that we are going through. That God is always listening even though it might not feel like it but to keep having faith. Faith that is worth fighting for!
Now this message was not just for Beatrice! This message was for me as well! This message is also for you!!! When life gets tough you have to a strong faith!! It is hard but and sometimes you really have to fight for your FAITH! But know that God is listening and if it does not happen right away don’t get discouraged it might not be the right time or God might have something else in mind that is better!!
So when life is tough remember to have Faith like the Canaanite Woman that doesn’t waver when it is not resolved right away!! Fight for your faith and know that God is stronger then anything that you are going through!!!
Love
Julia
