David Jones Rector's Page
A Model for Prayer

As many of you are aware, I read the Bible every day as a part of my relationship with God. One of the ways I read and study the Bible is by going through the daily Scripture readings from The One Year NIV Devotional New Testament.  On February 8th, I read the passage from Matthew 15 which records Jesus' meeting with the Canaanite woman.

While Jesus is in the Region of Tyre and Sidon, a predominately gentile area, a Canaanite woman came to Jesus and his disciples. Though she herself was a pagan and not Jewish, she somehow became aware that Jesus had miraculously healed people. She addresses Jesus as “Lord, Son of David.” She asks for God's mercy for herself and her suffering daughter. Though Jesus does not immediately reply to her, she continues to annoy the disciples and they try to get rid of her. Without going into a detailed analysis of the interchange between Jesus and the woman, what stands out is the conviction, faith, patience, and determination of this woman. She had a clear need. She was deeply concerned for her daughter. She believed that this man was “Lord, Son of David.” She knew He was connected directly to God and she had faith that He had the supernatural power to heal her daughter. She would not be deterred. She persisted. She would not let go of her conviction about Jesus and the healing He could provide.

What a model this is for us. Are we tenacious, patiently determined, and faithful in our praying? Do we know what it is, exactly, we should be praying for?  We need to become good spiritual listeners, attuned to the Holy Spirit. We can ask God what He wants us to pray for and how we should be praying.  Having heard from Him, we pray. Praying in the will of God, in accordance with God's Word, we pray always, and for everything, explicitly in the Name of Jesus.

May the Lord truly work in us His ways that we might be mighty prayer warriors in the daily spiritual battles all around us and that we would, through our praying, be instruments of His love and blessing to others (See Ephesians 6:10-19).

In the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ,
David