UNDENIABLE FAITH
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
They say that man is mighty
He governs land and sea;
He wields a mighty scepter
On lower powers than he.
But mightier power and stronger
Man from his throne has hurled,
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is that hand that rules the world.
21 ¶ Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
• According to Mk. 7:24 Jesus was attempting to get some R&R.
• When a mother’s child is in trouble ain’t nobody going to get let alone!
• She was a Greek woman, a gentile.
• She “cried” – to cry out intensely.
• Her daughter was miserably ill, under the power of a demon. (Demonized)
23 But he answered her not a word. (OBSTACLE #1)
And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. (OBSTACLE #2)
• Jesus was quiet, His disciples were not. (“Dismiss her”)
• Has God ever given you the “Silent treatment?
• “Crieth” Gr. kradzo, to croak, loudly and brutishly.
• “Us”? She didn’t ask anything from them, she addressed the Lord. (Lesson here)
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (OBSTACLE #3)
• “He answered” and He always does!
• He was on mission and had to have good reason to change it.
25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
• She “worshipped Him”, reverenced derived from a word meaning to lick as a dog its master’s hand.
• “Help me”, literally, “be my Helper”. (Heb. 13:6)
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. (OBSTACLE 4)
• “Not meet” , kalos, not good or right.
• “Dogs”, kunarion, pups or little dogs. (Term of endearment)
27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.
• Quick inventiveness.
• Presistence.
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith:
be it unto thee even as thou wilt.
And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. (Mt. 15:21-28 KJV)
• “Great”, megas, extreme form.
• “Faith”, pistis, belief with conviction.
• “Even as thow wilt”! (“According to your faith”, Centurion’s servant Mt 8:13; Blind Man Mk 10:52)
There are several characteristics of the Godly Mother in this story.
1- Godly Mother’s are Always Busy. (CNN value of work $60,000.00 yr. Minimum)
2- Godly Mother’s are Worshippers.
3- Godly Mother’s are Inventive. [Illus. Evolution of Mothers]
4- Godly Mother’s are Persistent.
5- Godly Mother’s are Women of “Great Faith”.
Do you see your mother in this description?
How about Yourself???
Emulate the example of this woman of faith!!!!
THE EVOLUTION OF MOTHERS
Being a parent changes everything. But being a parent also changes with each baby. Here are some of the ways having a second and third child is different from having the first.
Your Clothes
1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your doctor confirms your pregnancy.
2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.
Preparing for the Birth
1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
2nd baby: You don’t bother practicing because you remember that last time, breathing didn’t do a thing.
3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your 8th month.
Their Clothes
1st baby: You pre-wash your newborn’s clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby’s little bureau.
2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can’t they?
Worries
1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby.
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach your 3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
Pacifier
1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.
2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby’s bottle.
3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.
Diapering
1st baby: You change your baby’s diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.
2nd baby: You change their diaper every 2 to 3 hours, if needed.
3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.
Activities
1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.
Going Out
1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home 5 times.
2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.
At Home
1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
2nd baby: You spend a bit of every day watching to be sure your older child isn’t squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.
[SOURCE: SermonCentral staff.]
