Cookie Jars!

Matthew 15:25-28 – But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And he answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly. (ESV)

Sometimes things happen and I ask, "Lord, what are You saying to me?" Today, I was enthusiastically having a cup of tea when such an event occurred.

Earlier at home, in haste, I had cut off the last few biscuits from a packet of biscuits and, wrapping and all, I had placed them in my lunch box as a treat.

Now at tea break, as I worked my way through the little deck of sweet-meal biscuits, I could see that somewhere along their lifeline these biscuits had been dropped or crushed. When I had munched my way to the last one, I was left with an accumulation of crumbs, inviting me to throw them away with their plastic wrapper into the bin. However, because of their history, there was quite a sizable pile of crumbs, so I decided to eat them. As the crumbs entered my mouth, the above text came to mind.

This Canaanite woman had hoped Jesus was the answer to her prayers. She perceived the truth that Jesus was the Son of David, sent by God, with the power to heal. We see that she was not to be deflected, put off, or offended by Jesus, who, I assume, was testing the veracity of her faith.

This artificial indifference to her plight was not to sidetrack her. Even if she was a Gentile, she whole-heartedly accepted His authority and status, because desperation can make things simple. She understood that even the crumbs of favour from the Messiah Jesus are worthy of acceptance and trust.

Sometimes I need to prevent myself from letting slip the crumbs sent by Jesus, or taking offence at His priorities, holiness, or Word. Rather, I am reminded that we are but cookie jars of clay, and His revelation crumbs make our lives worth living because He is the giver of life!

Prayer: Lord, we know You search our hearts to find faith. Yet so often we have let Your salvation fall to the floor unheeded. Grant us our desire today that Your Word would again change our lives, encourage faith, and direct our paths through the power of the name of Jesus. Amen.

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