If you’re a dog owner, you quickly discover the faith of a dog. If you’re not a dog mom or dad, continue reading and you’ll soon see their faith. This morning as I walked my dog, I received profound awareness of his faith in me. As we walked, the leash found its way under one of his legs. In my mind, if he kept walking, he would free himself. This was not his mindset. Instead, he kept his gaze steadfast on me as if to say, “I’m not moving until you free me.” Of course, I helped him and we finished our walk without further incident.
Despite our successful trek, my mind focused on the faith of a dog. They rely on their owners and depend on them to not only free their leg but to feed and care for them. They look to owners/parents for comfort and companionship. One interesting thing about these animals especially my dog, they will gaze at you until their need is met. They have faith that you will help them. As a result, this notion prompted this question to believers: Do you have the faith of dog?
The Story: Matthew 15:21-28
In Matthew 15:21-28, Jesus arrived in a city and a woman came pleading for Him to heal her daughter. Jesus didn’t respond and continued on His way. However, the woman repeated her plea. As a result, the disciples urged Jesus to send her away. He responded, “I was only sent to help the people of Israel.” Again, she pleaded for His help. This time He said it wasn’t right to give the children’s food to the dogs. In her desperation, she responded, “Even dogs are allowed to eat the food that falls from the Master’s table.” Her response provoked Jesus to move as her faith was beyond anything He saw before. At His Word, her daughter was instantly healed.
The Lesson
This passage can illicit quite a few questions and emotions. But what stands out the most is that the woman ignored the seeming rejection by Jesus and the disciples. She didn’t care how she looked or the comparison to dogs. Her sights remained fixed on her need. Like my dog, she had an issue and wasn’t going to move until Jesus fixed it.
How often do we pout when things don’t go our way? We lash out when someone doesn’t say things precisely the way we want them to say it. Unfortunately, we do this with God. If He doesn’t give us a spouse on our schedule with our specifications, we take matters into our hands. Or He doesn’t respond the way we want, we stop believing that He’s real. If His promises don’t manifest within a certain amount of time, we doubt and even disregard the promises all together.
Please know that those actions and thoughts aren’t faith. Hebrews 11:1 NIV states “Faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Faith is the size of a mustard seed and the belief that the mountain will move” (Matthew 17:20-21; Luke 17:5). Faith is the woman knowing that Jesus would heal her daughter. Even my dog had faith to know that I would free his leg. Do you have the faith of a dog? The unmovable, unwavering, firmly committed faith.
