The Canaanite woman and JESUS (P3): JESUS' silence

Bawo ni precious! Tere messenger!

You will receive more than healing, more than a miracle, more than deliverance. It is time to pull up the weeds (Matthew 13:29-30). It is time to prune the vineyard (John 15:1-2). Certain battles, certain trials, certain seas are allowed to reveal that you have grown. You are now ready, mature enough, to lead them, to win them, to face them, to go through them. It was comfortable, but deceptive. It is painful but necessary. You thought you were waiting for GOD. You finally realize that, in reality, He was  waiting for you. He was waiting for your faith to grow. He wasn't keeping you waiting, he was protecting you and preparing you. A little more time and you will understand. A giant falls and behind him, two others fall. A palm tree is planted and around it, a plantation is born. Messengers are not those who have an opinion on everything and a word on everything. They are those who say what GOD tells them to say, when He tells them to say it. Before speaking, they are silent, they listen and observe. May the peace of CHRIST be with you.

3. The silence of Jesus

❖ (Mark 7:24-27, NKJV): " 24 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. 25 For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. JESUS said to her, 27 'Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.'"

❖ (Matthew 15:21-26, NKJV): "21 Then JESUS went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, 'Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.' 23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, 'Send her away, for she cries out after us.' 24 But He answered and said, 'I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' 25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, 'Lord, help me!' 26 He answered and said, " 'It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.'"

She cried out, but JESUS seemed to pay no attention to her. He did not answer. And probably, he did not look at her. There are two ways to interpret JESUS' attitude. Just as there are two ways to interpret GOD's silences.🙂 God's silences are not synonymous with indifference. GOD's silence is a message. It is written that For GOD may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it. (Job 33:14). The question is therefore not whether GOD speaks, but rather who hears what GOD says, who interprets what GOD says, and who understands what GOD says. From my observation and personal experience, when GOD is silent, or more accurately when GOD seems to be silent, it is either because He has already spoken or because He is about to reveal the answer or solution.

An example:

You ask GOD if you should buy land to build a building. He does not answer. We know that as long as GOD does not answer, or give a clear and firm conviction, we do nothing. In the meantime, you ask for an expert's analysis. You discover that, given the quality of the soil, it will only be possible to build a one-story building without a basement. However, GOD has already told you, repeated and confirmed that your building should be seven stories high. Will your prayer be, "LORD, should I buy this land?" No! Your prayer will be, "LORD, if you want me to buy this land despite this problem, tell me and, if possible, explain why." You will say that GOD has not spoken to you. Another person will say that GOD has spoken to them through circumstances. Perhaps GOD will say to your neighbor, "Buy this land for your fruit plantation." Perhaps to another neighbor, He will say, "You can buy this land, but you will have to wait five or ten years before you can build on it. At this time, you cannot build your school on this land." The last person will buy the land if GOD tells him that the school should be built in five years. But if GOD tells him or has already told him that the school must be built in a year, he will not buy the land. It will all depend on the goal that GOD gives him. GOD has spoken to each of you. But sometimes in one way, sometimes in another. Not only has He spoken to you, but He has given you an answer according to your needs.

🙂 What matters is not the way GOD speaks to you, but that He speaks to your circumstances, that you understand what He says, that you have the right interpretation of what He tells you and/or shows you. What matters is that you don't miss GOD's answer, that you don't miss His visitation, that your faith allows you to touch the hem of His garment. It is better to be in the desert with JESUS, waiting with JESUS, than in the palace with the devil. Even if GOD doesn't do what you expect. Even if you don't understand. Even if He does not heal you, being in His presence is better than being anywhere else. David said, " Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere." (Psalm 84:10).

I say, FATHER, that on the day of distress, I will be in the most holy place. I will start in the courtyards, but I will reach the most holy place. I will not be satisfied with a superficial relationship with GOD. For if I remain in the courtyards, if I remain at the entrance, if I remain at the door, what will become of those behind me? Dear parent, if you are satisfied with a superficial relationship with GOD, what will become of your children?

Let's return to our text. JESUS does not respond immediately to the Canaanite woman, but that does not mean that he is indifferent or without compassion. He does not respond, but that does not mean that he is not praying inwardly. It does not mean that he is not waiting for an answer from the FATHER or the HOLY SPIRIT. 🙂 Intercessors and counselors already understand what I am getting at. We have all been in situations where the problem is not the real problem, but a revelation of the real problem. Situations where you want to pray, but people want you to talk. They ask you what GOD says, but they don't let you talk to GOD.

I will help you by asking you questions: How do you receive mercy? How do you grasp grace? How do you keep deliverance? The answers: through repentance, through faith, and through consecration. When JESUS did not answer the Canaanite woman, who was He talking to? About what?

JESUS was talking to the FATHER while the Canaanite woman was talking to JESUS. He was waiting for this woman's faith to speak. Perhaps he was already interceding for her. Do you remember the following verse? " I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me." (John 5:30, NKJV). He also said that He says what He sees the FATHER doing (John 5:38). So sometimes he hears and sometimes he sees.

He wanted to give him more than deliverance. He knew that " When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' A son arrivée, il la trouve vide, balayée et bien rangée. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first..." (Matthew 12:43-45)

It makes me think. What about you?🙂 I have a question for someone: who dared to tell you that GOD's silence means that He doesn't love you? We're talking about GOD, not men. Who dared to tell you that because GOD hasn't answered yet, it means He has abandoned you? Who told you such a lie? Who dared to tell you that? Who is the person who told you that before GOD? What does he or she have before GOD? What authority does his or her name have before the name of JESUS? Did he or she create you? Does he or she sit on the council of GOD? Are you going to leave the Word, the HOLY SPIRIT, JESUS, and the FATHER to listen to him or her? No, no, no. Separate yourself from this person. Replace this person's words with the words of GOD. If you don't know the words of GOD, go read your Bible. Go listen to your Bible on audio. Go seek the Word. Go listen to teachings. Go read articles on this blog. Go listen to times of prayer. Go read books. Go meet JESUS.

The Syro-Phoenicians and the Canaanites were idols (Judges 10:6-7). As a reminder, Phoenicia was part of Canaan. They did not worship GOD and had no covenant with GOD. We know that idolatry is forbidden to the Jews and to us who are in CHRIST. We know that GOD hates idolatry and that idolatry is a source of curses. I have listed some verses on this subject in the article No Excuse for Idolatry.

So, we have JESUS facing an idolatrous woman and/or descendant of idolaters whose daughter is oppressed by a demon. Perhaps this woman had converted to Judaism. I don't know. One thing is certain; she was a descendant of idolaters. This woman was crying out. Were these cries of despair or cries of faith? Was she trying to attract people's attention? Or was she expressing her determination?

When we sing, there are those who want to show that they have a beautiful voice. They do what I call vocal animation. And then there are those who express what they cannot say with words. It is the same with cries and tears. There are those who pretend to believe and there are those who say to GOD: I don't have the words. There are those whose cries and tears are just self-pity. And there are those who know that we don't need to pretend before GOD, who have understood that at certain moments, prayer is no longer corporate but personal. Those who remember that on the day of the crucifixion, JESUS was alone and naked.

JESUSasked himself, "Does she really have faith? Does she have firm faith? Will she ask me to go see her daughter? Will she grasp her daughter's deliverance through faith? Will she preserve her daughter's deliverance? Will she continue to worship idols?" Then JESUS said to her, " Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs." (Mark 7:27, NKJV)

Did I read that right? What did he say? " Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs." (Mark 7:27, NKJV). He, the reflection of the FATHER! He who said, " The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." (Luke 4:18-19, NKJV). He, whose ancestors were Ruth the Moabite and Rahab the Canaanite?

There is something more painful than GOD's silence: the misinterpretation of His word. Here comes the devil, the liar who wants to take advantage of this moment to insert lies.

• He said to this woman, "It's too late for your daughter. GOD cannot be trusted. Your past is too heavy. The curse on your family is too strong. Even JESUS can't help you. You've made a fool of yourself for nothing. You cried out for nothing. You should have stayed home. Now everyone will talk about you. What's the point of insisting?"

  
  

• He said to an intercessor, "You didn't pray properly. You didn't pray enough. Jesus is going to scold you. Why did you open the door for him?"

  
  

• He says to an evangelist, "You should have kept quiet. Why did you talk to him about JESUS? You told him that JESUS could save his daughter. But he just said no to him. He just rejected her."

  
  

• He says to those who live in the house, "Did GOD really tell you to receive JESUS? To invite him into your home? Aren't the Pharisees right to be wary of him? He eats with tax collectors and people of ill repute (Mark 2:15-17), but he refuses to save a Canaanite woman. He performs miracles among the Jews, but among you he does nothing? Isn't he in your house to eat your bread? Who does this Jew think he is?"

What are you doing? I am not asking you what you answer JESUS. I am asking you what you say to yourself. Are you going to listen to the devil? Are you going to believe his lies? Are you going to abandon your daughter? Your destiny? Your health? Of course not! NO! And NO again!

You will say:

• His kindness is not exhausted. His compassion is not at an end.

• He cannot deny himself. He is Love and Truth. He is faithful.

• " If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." (John 7:37-38)

• "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16, NKJV)

• I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand up at the last day. I have no plan B.

• If he does not rise, I will continue to worship him. For he alone, yes, he alone, is LORD. He alone is the way, the truth, and the life. He alone is the light. For JESUS alone has the name above every name.

• As long as I live, as long as my daughter lives, I will believe. For everything, everything is possible for those who believe.

• I only need one word from his mouth. For he speaks and it happens. He thinks and it exists.

🙂 I want to say to someone: If the messenger cannot come to your home, to the hospital, to the prison, you bring the message home. That servant of GOD, that servant of GOD whom you cannot meet, bring his messages home. Bring his books to the house. Bring his prayer times to the hospital and to the prison. Download, listen, again and again. Put headphones on this child's ears. Record yourself praying and let your prayers resound in this room, this house, this hospital, this prison. Today, not tomorrow. Today.

Let's stop for a moment and pray. Let's pray in tongues and in understanding. I don't know if you are the mother, the intercessor, the evangelist, or an observer. But let's pray. Pray for yourself, for a mother, for an intercessor, for an evangelist, for an observer. This story was written for us as an example. So that when we are like this woman, this intercessor, this evangelist, this observer, we will not fall into the devil's trap. This story was written to serve as an example for us. This story was written for our instruction. Beloved, GOD's answers are in GOD. Only GOD can help us understand what He says. It is not up to the devil to explain to you what GOD says. The devil is nothing but a liar.

Beloved, you have something that this woman did not have: teaching and fellowship. This woman did not have a Bible. She did not have a spiritual father. She did not have a spiritual mother. She was not a student at a Bible school. This woman had an inner testimony. This woman had faith. This woman just wanted a word. Oh, just one word.

Pray, beloved. One day, you will be in the situation of this woman, this intercessor, this evangelist, this observer. One day, you will be in the situation of JESUS as a man. You will be the mouth through which GOD will speak to someone. You will be the servant to whom GOD will bring a woman whose daughter is oppressed. A woman who does not have your skin color. A woman who is alone and knows no one. A woman who does not come with an offering. A woman who does not have time to wait. A woman who will need you to exercise the authority you have received from CHRIST. A woman to whom GOD has said Yes. A woman to whom GOD will have spoken first. A woman who has only JESUS. Pray that on that day, her faith will be great. Pray that on that day, GOD will be able to use you. Amen.

** Bawo ni = Good morning in Yoruba (Nigeria)

** Tere = Good morning in Estonian

** Olo-du-du = Good morning in Igala/Igara (Nigeria)