JUST A CRUMB!
MATTHEW 15.23
If tonight in a literal sense, Jesus was passing by, what word or words do you feel could be said to get His attention?
If this morning brother Kenny said tonight the Lord Himself would be bodily present in this service.
I am not a talking about an evangelist. Nor a prophet, nor a missionary- but Jesus Christ Himself would be right here with us tonight.
You had all day to decide what you would say to get His attention, what would it be?
No doubt the crowd would be great. And if you were going to get His attention, you would have to come up with some words that would cause Him to stop whatever He was doing at look at your situation.
This woman was in this kind of predicament. What greater need could she have had, than to have her daughter vexed with a devil.
And the crowd was great no doubt around. She cried out “…have mercy on me”!
Perhaps these were the only words that she could come up with that would get Jesus’ attention.
Perhaps she said if there are any words that would cause Him to look my way and have compassion, sure have mercy on me would.
But He answered her not a word.
Luke 18
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Maybe I could understand if she would have walked up to Him and begin to tell Him how good her works have been. And how worthy she felt that He should do this for her.
But no, she said nothing of this sort. She said the only words, and they were the right words, that she knew who get His attention.
There are times that you come as humbly before Him as you possible know how.
And with a trembling voice you cry, “Have mercy on me”.
The heavens seem to be brass. It seems as if though the Lord Himself turns from your feeble plea. It’s almost like he turns a deaf ear to your cry.
What do you do when God doesn’t respond.
There are times when you get down to pray, that it seems no sooner that your knees it the floor, the answer is already spoken.
But what do you do when you have acknowledge your weakness and your needs before God, and He seemingly doesn’t respond?
You may say my pastor has told me to obey God.
Just walk around the front of the church. Just let him anoint me oil and the church pray for me.
Preacher I’ve done it all. When the Lord has passed by our services, I’ve stepped out and cried out to Him. But my need is still just as great tonight or greater than it has ever been.
What are you going to do? Will you gather your daughter in your arms and go home? There’s no use in coming anymore. No matter how much I pray. No matter how much I cry, things just get worse and worse.
I get ignored. I get overlooked. Even the disciples is getting weary with me. Maybe there are only certain ones that can touch the Master. I’ll just learn to live with my trouble.
You will never learn to live with your trouble!
Just because it may not look like He’s responding, doesn’t mean He isn’t listening!
You think being ignored is bad. You think praying and not hearing back from God is troublesome. What about when God did answer this woman.
Mt 15:26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.
Well, of all the things He could have said, He had to call me and my daughter a dog.
Oh how easily we are sometimes offended when we pick God’s word up and read it.
Oh how easily we are sometimes offended when the man of God says, thus saith the Lord.
We get discourage by the encouraging words people around us say.
It was never the Lord’s intention to send this woman away without a miracle.
It was never His intention with her leaving with the need she came with.
But if He would have responded the first time he never could have said great is thy faith.
He allowed her faith to be put to the test.
He allowed her faith to be tried, to prove it was genuine.
He wanted everyone around to know, this lady means business.
She’s not going to stop when the answer doesn’t come the first time.
She’s not going to quit praying when everyone has grown weary with her.
She’s not going to give up when her feelings get hurt.
It’s not God’s intention for you to leave here like you came.
It’s not God’s will for you to go without the miracle and the help that you need.
But He’s allowing your faith to be on trial. Not only will He know how great your faith is. Not only will everyone around you know. But so that you will know.
In her response to the Lord’s what would seem harsh words
Mt 15:27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.
She stood on His promise. She used His words as her promise.
I may be nothing but a dog. I may be the least deserving, but I still have a promise.
This woman had a great need. This burden seemed so heavy. But she said Lord, all I need is a crumb.
Her faith had reached the place to get her, her miracle.
No doubt she was grateful for her miracle.
No doubt she had joy when her daughter was made whole.
But when she heard Him say, Great is thy faith- a deeper joy.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
You may have a need here tonight by faith say I know the need is great, but all it will take is a crumb.
This kind of faith will get you a miracle.
This kind of faith will move the heart and hand of God.
This kind of faith will cause mercy, grace, joy, and peace to fall from the Master’s table.
When He sees this faith, He will give you more than a crumb.
2 Samuel 9
1 And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?
2 And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.
3 And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.
4 And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar.
5 Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar.
6 Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant!
7 And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.
8 And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?
9 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master’s son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house.
10 Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master’s son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master’s son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
I feel unworthy. I feel crippled by my past. I feel useless.
He’s got a place at His table for you.
