"Snapping turtle" faith, Conclusion

When we began this study, we noted that snapping turtles are known for hanging on, for not letting go of something. We have seen that this Greek woman, known in the Bible as the Syrophoenecian woman, had "snapping turtle" faith.
Let's look one more time at our passage for the week.

Jesus told the woman, "Because you said this, you may go. The demon has left your daughter."

It's a very simple truth that the words we speak in a time of crisis reveal our faith, our humility, and our persistency. If we are lacking in any of these areas, it will be revealed!
We've uncovered some nuggets here that I'd like to remind myself of:

First, Jesus reaches out to everyone. Both the woman who knelt before Him, and her child whom He healed, were both females -- and they were also Gentiles. Jesus looked past these "issues" of their cultures and saw their worth, their value -- and honored the mother's faith.

Second, our heroine would not take "no" for an answer. She had already humiliated herself in the eyes of others in her culture, by pleading with a Jewish person to save her daughter. Desperately, she refused to give up, even when Jesus apparently rebuffed her. It was her quick repartee that turned things to her advantage.

Third, it doesn't matter if we are separated in time from Jesus. We can still know Him, receive Him, and be guided by Him. Three times in the gospels Jesus healed someone at a distance (the nobleman's son, the centurion's servant, and this woman's daughter). He is still in the business of healing us from sin today!

Also, evil spirits are not just things we read about in our Bible. We, too, must fight evil powers in our own lives. Every day we are faced with this fight. But we have an advantage -- Jesus won the ultimate victory on the cross, and as believers, we share in His victory. He gives us authority over the evil that we face, if we only will seek Him and receive that authority and power.

                         Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. (Eph. 6:10)

                         The One Who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
                         (I John 4:4)

As believers, we have already experienced the deliverance of God. And though most of our children, relatives, and friends may never suffer from demonic possession, we often worry about the spiritual battles that they face.  While I can't reveal the details, I can affirm that we can receive miracles from our God. Our Father has been so faithful to me in recent months, and showed His mercy and love. Our prayers are heard, and indeed, they are answered in His time!

When we feel anxious or even hopeless about these situations, let's turn to Psalm 46 or Psalm 91, and let the Spirit comfort us as we read.

Pray for these who are in battle, and pray this scripture:

                       Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be
                       shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
                       so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forevermore.
                       (Psalm 125:1-2)

What a precious promise! Let's ask Him to increase our faith; ask Him to make it a "snapping turtle" kind of faith!