ASSEMBLIES OF GODDaily Devotional
Persistent Faith
Read Exodus 12:21 through 14:31; Matthew 15:21–39
The young man sat praying at the side of his father’s intensive care hospital bed. Hour after hour, silent words escaped his lips as he interceded for his father. It wasn’t one long prayer, but many short, to-the-point prayers. He was often interrupted by doctors and nurses coming to the bedside to adjust machines, take vital signs, and do seemingly hundreds of other things to keep the man alive. “Please, God, let him live,” the young man pleaded. “Bring healing to his body.”
After three weeks of nearly constant vigil, the father began to rebound. The desperate prayers, issued day after day, had been answered. God had intervened. The father recovered and went home several weeks later.
The Canaanite woman was also persistent in prayer, calling on Jesus until He granted her request.
“Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted” (Matthew 15:28).
Not only did Jesus grant her request; He also commended her for the faith she displayed through her persistence. Her example is a model for us. What a joy it would be to hear Jesus say to us, “You have great faith.”
Prayer Suggestion: Jesus, may You be pleased by my faith today.
Quicklook: Matthew 15:21–28