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 grievously 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 anything influenced by darkness.
Jesus knows better than we will ever know what we need.

Benefits of Waiting

Human nature has a way of quickly forgetting the value of special things. The value that a bride and groom have and feel for each other as they prepare to walk down the isle to say their special vows. The value that a married couple places on their first newborn child and even the college career that took years of hard work to complete. The truth is a person will put their best foot forward in obtaining a long awaited goal but may relax with an I have finally arrived attitude. Accomplishing something is not the time to relax, but a time to begin a new level of achievement to appreciate and keep what has been obtained. The constant attitude of setting goals and moving forward brings a level of honor and respect needed to appreciate what has been presently accomplished. Something that is given instead of laboring for can bring with it the possibility of losing its value because appreciation is linked to thanksgiving a Godly characteristic admonished in Gods word to never be without. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 declares In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. God wants us to never forget what he does for us on a daily basis so in His love will allow periods of waiting during certain seasons of

life so we will appreciate all of those wonderful things that he does. By waiting I mean withholding certain things we may want at present until a later time so we will value and appreciate them when they do arrive.

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