Matthew 15:27 “And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
Beggars Can Be Askers
Does God answer your prayers? If He does, why should He? What is it that would ever result in an answered prayer? Instinctively, your mind goes in the wrong direction to answer those questions! Your mind focuses on you and how good you are or how hard you are trying.
Until you see yourself as a beggar, you will not receive what you need from Christ. For salvation, if you bring all of your good works and the very best of what you have, you can’t find God’s grace. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8) However, if you come to God as a sinner in need of mercy, you can and will find it! “…and Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37)
As believers, we can fall into the same type of wrong thinking when it comes to asking God for what we need. That is why I love the story of the Canaanite woman coming to the Lord in Matthew 15! She saw herself as a beggar, asked the One who had what she needed, and received what she asked for! She had no social standing (she was a woman) or religious standing (she was a Canaanite); and the one thing she did have, a daughter, was vexed with a devil (would you want your kids playing with hers?). That’s not a recipe for getting something based on your own merit! She couldn’t brag about why she deserved mercy; she could only beg for it.
The truth is, God answers our prayers because He is gracious, not because we are good. It is mercy, not merit. If the Lord would answer the prayer this Canaanite woman in Matthew 15, then He will answer your prayers as well, but only if you see your need. People that don’t need do not ask; people who are trying are not trusting. I am so glad that God is able when I am not!