BY GREG CRUM
“Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” Matthew 15:25-28
Jesus responds to radical faith. He loves it when people have the audacity to believe in his goodness and mercy beyond what is logically reasonable. A faith that makes the world scoff touches his heart, brings a smile to his face, and praise from his lips! We see this here in his interaction with the woman whose daughter was demon-possessed, and we see it in his interaction with the centurion from Capernaum, but sadly, it seems little seen in our modern times.
Where has all the “daring” faith gone? How have we backslidden so far away from trust in the only surefire way?
Last week we wrote of ridiculous faith. We thought about the repentant thief on the cross beside of Jesus and how preposterous it was for him to put his trust in a dying man beaten to a pulp by Roman soldiers. How crazy do you have to be to ask a man hanging on a cross to make a place for you in a kingdom that, for most of Jesus’ disciples in that moment, had to seem like a lost pipedream.? Crazy like a fox, I guess!
You see, that former thief knew in that moment what had to be done. He had to step out and express what was in the pit of his soul, the understanding that in Christ alone was his hope of any kind of better future. What was an audacious belief to some was the only thing that made sense to him. And according to his faith Jesus granted him eternal life!
Oh, the reward of ridiculous faith, if only it finds its expression through us!
Brothers and sisters, I realize we live in a “more educated” age. Thing is though, most are ever learning but never coming to a genuine knowledge of the truth about God. Our better understanding of how the world works has only worked to allow pride to harden our hearts to the awe and trust that is due the Creator of the world. Many don’t feel a radical, no plan B faith is necessary now because man has so many more civilized alternatives. How’s that working out for most of us? Few people today consistently enjoy the privileges of the sacrifice of Jesus in their lives, and too many Christians are depressed, sick, dissatisfied, hopeless and fearful. Why? Perhaps it’s because their faith is too watered down. It’s faith-lite, the “new” faith for today’s progressive culture! It’s low-calorie faith, like Faith-Zero. It’s a play-it-safe faith that stays in the secret places of their hearts so if the desired result doesn’t come about they can save themselves and their families the embarrassment and shame.
Friends, the faith that works, that pleases God, that receives promises, and that accomplishes the impossible is a bold, daring, audacious, preposterous and ridiculous faith. If you’ve been believing for things from God and still not seeing the results after some time, maybe you need to check your believing. Maybe you’re not being radical enough. Maybe you’re playing it way too safe. We need more audacity in our believing. That’s when we will begin to see more success in our receiving.
Think about the “father” of our faith, Abraham. What does Romans 4 say about the quality of faith that he demonstrated? In verse 18 it states, “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.” This “against all hope” kind of faith is the unreasonable faith that allows God to fulfill His Word to us.
Friends, let’s get out of the shallow end of the pool and quit playing it safe and reveling in our conservative belief. Let’s step out and be more ridiculous in what we are believing God for!
Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely