Rest! A Key to Mercy and Effective Ministry

Matthew 15:22- And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. In this particular story we observe that a woman came to Jesus to plead for mercy on behalf of her daughter because she was grieviously vexed by a devil (Matt.15:22). Demons are restless and they seek rest by walking through dry places and when they cannot find it, return to possess the body they were forced to leave...

Matthew 12:43-44 - When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. There is neither rest for the daughter or the loving mother who is desperately concerned about her daughter. The loving mother exhibits mercy to her daughter by going to Jesus on her behalf. Some problems must be taken to Jesus in prayer on behalf of those who may not be in the condition to do so for themselves. This woman was effective in ministry for her daughter because both mercy and rest was the final result for both.

Her faith and persistence got the much needed miracle. Verse 28 declares Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 to come unto him all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest which is what this mother did.

Practical Points - In this life we will have problems that only Jesus can solve so we must be willing to take them to him in prayer.

People who are tired may not show mercy. The Disciples in contrast did not show mercy to this woman ( vs 23) - And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

We can always trust a loving God to show mercy on our behalf.

Don't allow others to distract or hinder your pursuit of receiving your answer.

There is no rest in anthing influenced by darkness.

Jesus knows better than we will ever know what we need.