Does Prayer Work?
A foreign woman approached Jesus of Nazareth. Her daughter is deathly ill. She knelt down before him as if in prayer and asked, “Lord, help me.” Jesus answered by saying: “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” Is this the Jesus that we know and love?
If you are someone who prays, or someone who has tried to pray, you probably have wondered: Is anyone really listening? Does this matter? There may be an answer to your prayers, but it might not be the answer that you want.
Please put up with some scholarly details. I don’t mean to muddy the waters, just put things in context. Jesus had left his home territory and was hanging around the cities of Tyre and Sidon. These cities are in what we know as Syria. The woman that came to see him was a Canaanite. The Canaanites were ancient enemies of the Jews, mostly because the Jews had moved in to the land and forced them out. The Canaanites also followed the old ways and superstitions. In the old ways, you say a prayer or do something religious to sort of yank the chain of the gods and get what you want. It’s like the Facebook posts that call on you to share and receive a blessing for it.
Her being foreign was strike one. Her religious background was strike two. Her being a woman was strike three. Mideastern woman were not to approach men in this way. When he puts her off, perhaps Jesus is saying: “Sorry ma’am, but my job is to minister to my people, the Jews. You and I do not even believe in the same God. You pretty much believe in whatever will work for you. Also, it isn’t proper for you and I to relating in this way.” But that is not the end of the story.
It would be fair to say that sometimes God tells us “no”. Sometimes you pray with all your might, you beg God to do what you ask and to deliver that when you want it. Quite often, nothing happens or just the opposite happens. Sometimes God says “no”, at least for the time being.
It could be that we need reminding, that God isn’t there just to do what we want. God is not at our beck and call and under our control. God is not a good luck charm and prayer is not magic. It could also be that God is also trying to talk to us in prayer and hoping that we will listen and do what God wants us to do. But this isn’t the end of the story.
The woman looks up at Jesus and says: “Yes Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master’s table.” Jesus says: “Woman! Great is your faith! Let it be done as you wish.” Jesus puts aside his national, religious and personal boundaries and her daughter is instantly healed.
I don’t think prayer is just a matter of having a quick wit, as much as I think that prayer is meant to be a dialogue. It is meant to work both ways. It is a two-way street. If you are someone that prays or has tried to pray, you are bound to have wondered if God is really listening and if God answers prayer. But in the end, I am not sure that it is always an answer that you are looking for.
Maybe prayer does more than work miracles. Maybe prayer creates a miraculous relationship between the unholy you and the holy God. Which is, when you think about it, what you need the most, and what you are really praying for in the first place.
