经过考验而得胜的信心
马可福音七章24至30节
24耶稣从那里起身，往推罗、西顿的境内去，进了一家，不愿意人知道，却隐藏不住。
25当下，有一个妇人，他的小女儿被污鬼附着，听见耶稣的事，就来俯伏在他脚前。
26这妇人是希腊人，属叙利腓尼基族。他求耶稣赶出那鬼离开他的女儿。
27耶稣对他说：让儿女们先吃饱，不好拿儿女的饼丢给狗吃。
28妇人回答说：主阿，不错；但是狗在桌子底下也吃孩子们的碎渣儿。
29耶稣对他说：因这句话，你回去罢；鬼已经离开你的女儿了。
30他就回家去，见小孩子躺在床上，鬼已经出去了。
信息分享
这是一个奇特的故事。那名妇人逼切地求耶稣医治她的女儿，但耶稣却显出一副不大愿意的样子。其实，祂只是考验她的信心而已。
当我们向神祈求的时候，我们应该紧记这个故事给我们的教训。
留意这个妇人的态度。她是否走到耶稣面前，像耶稣一定要帮她一样，命令祂去医治她的女儿？不，她俯伏在祂的脚前，哀求祂的帮助。
她是否只求一次，见耶稣不肯答允就离开？不，第26节的意思是她不断恳求。即使她得到一个奇怪的回应，她仍然没有放弃，继续恳求主。
耶稣对她说的话，可以理解为：「我来是要先帮助犹太人；我应该先尽力帮助他们，然后才帮助你们外邦人。」
妇人回答得很好。她说：「我明白这个道理，人不会先喂狗，然后才喂自己的儿女。然而，主人却会容许家中的狗吃掉下来的饼碎。难道你没有一些饼碎可以给我的女儿吗？」
她的说话令基督大为惊讶。祂看见她的信心和逼切的祈求，于是对她说：「妳起来回去吧！妳的女儿好了！」
她立即起来回家；这个毫不迟疑的行动，再次充分显示她的信心。当她回到家中，她便发现她的祈求真的得蒙应允了。
今天，让我们好好思考这个故事，反省它对我们的祷告生活所带来的启迪。你的信心是否很容易动摇？抑或你会坚定信心，不住祷告，直至得到神的应允？
反思：
常常祷告，不要灰心。
FAITH TESTED BUT TRIUMPHANT
Mark 7:24-30
24 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.
25 For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.
26 The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
27 But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”
28 And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.”
29 Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”
30 And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.
Message
This is a strange story. It seemed almost as if Jesus did not want to heal the daughter of the woman who came to him. But what he was really doing was testing her faith in him as the Son of God.
It is a wonderful lesson for us to remember when we ask God for special things.
Notice the attitude of this woman. Did she stand in front of Christ and demand he heal her daughter? No, she came and fell at his feet and pleaded with him.
Did she ask once and then go away without an answer? No, verse 26 really means that she kept on asking Jesus for help. Even when he gave her a strange reply, she still asked again.
What Jesus said to her could be put this way. 'I have come to help Jewish people first of all. I don't think it is right to do something for you until I have helped all of them that I can.'
Her reply was wonderful, She said 'I realise that. You don't feed the little housedogs first before you feed your children. But the pet dogs are allowed to lick up any crumbs that fall. Couldn't I have just a little crumb for my daughter, please?'
Christ was thrilled with her reply. He saw her faith and her desire and said, 'Go on home, your daughter is healed.'
Once again her faith shows through. She immediately left the place where Christ was and went on home. When she got there, she found her prayer had been wonderfully answered.
Think through this story again today and see what it has to say to you regarding the way you pray. Is your faith easily turned aside or does it press on until God answers?
A THOUGHT:
We ought always to pray and not faint in doing it.