Finding truth in the midst of lies.

My resolve is being put to test on my previous blog on family management. 15 years of sleepovers isn't easy to abolish! Even when friends can come HERE, it seems the ability to go THERE is more pressing! Lord, help me, guide me, strengthen me! Added to this stress is my confusion over Bible reading this morning in Mark 7:25 - 30 . I decided to do a search so I could understand this puzzling conversation between Jesus and a Syrophoenician woman.

My research kept leading me to websites that tried to say this passage could not possibly be authentic or that Jesus was all but referring to this woman as scum because of reference to dogs. My blood was boiling and I was in the midst of feeling betrayed by my Lord, by the Bible, by life in general (yes, I am dramatic today, aren't I?) All I could think was, "Lord, this can't be true, please, tell me this isn't true."

My husband and I have watched enough videos and read enough research to understand the validity of the King James Version and that this scripture is truly God breathed. Our Heavenly Father is not a racist nor would he turn his back on His people whether they be Jew or Gentile. So I pressed forward. I felt in my heart there was a better answer. Just after breathing my plea to God, I discovered Bella Online, the Voice of Women and this article by Lynne Chapman:

A Dialogue With God – Mark 7:25-30
In the Bible, in the book of Mark,
there is a brief story of a woman who interrupted Jesus in one of His private
times. It is said that Jesus was in the vicinity of Tyre – in Phoenicia, on the
Mediterranean - to privately minister to His disciples. He was not there to
teach publicly, but word always traveled fast when Jesus was in the area. It
wasn’t easy for Him to be alone and a desperate gentile woman found Him in one
of these rare moments.

She fell at His feet to make her request, telling Him that her daughter was
possessed by an evil spirit. She knew that Jesus had driven out demons before
and that He could heal her daughter. Jesus said an odd thing. It sounds
especially so to us, 2000 years later. He simply said that it was not right to
throw the children’s bread to the dogs. The term used here for “dogs” is the
word for household pets. He meant that at a family meal, one doesn’t give the
children’s food to the pets. The “children” were the apostles, who He had come
to teach. The “pets” were those who were not apostles. (Some commentators say
that the “children” meant the Jews and the “dogs” meant the gentiles.)

Whatever the exact meaning, this gentile woman didn’t give up. She could
have been insulted and refused to talk to Him. She could have been discouraged
and left His presence but she was not deterred. She used Jesus’ own analogy and
answered by saying that even the family pets ate the crumbs under the table. She
would be grateful for even a crumb from the Master. Jesus could see that she
truly believed and had faith in Him. The Bible says that by her answer, her
daughter was healed. Jesus didn’t have to touch the girl and He didn’t need to
say a word. The demon had left her.

In reading this story, I see that we must believe in God’s ability to heal
any situation, and we must believe in His love for us. We must STAY
in His presence. Our prayer might require a dialog with God and we
must not give up easily.

In that quiet, personal time of desperation when it’s just you and God, ask
for what you need from Him. Talk to Him as though He is Jesus, the man, standing
there. Be assured that you are worth His answer and mercy. Know that the answer
to your prayer might come at any moment.

This article made more sense to me than all the other sites I visited combined. This seemed to show the true character of Jesus and the scriptures that portray His amazing life. Thank you, Lord, for leading me to TRUTH. I pray others will see through the lies I had to endure at first.