I was born in India and moved to Dallas when I was seven years old. For most of my life, I was the only person who looked like me in the rooms I walked into, which would remind me that I was an outsider. I felt like everyone was staring at me — but I felt invisible at the same time.
Like many immigrants, I tried to just blend in and belong. I would never ask for anything more, even when I wanted it because I didn’t think I deserved it. I knew I may never get to sit at the table and should just be grateful to be in the room. A part of me also feared being rejected because I was different. Even my name, Simi, announced to everyone that I was an outsider.
Last year, God helped me heal from this mentality. For too long, I had allowed the world to show me who I was based on how they treated or responded to me on a given day. The root of this lie I believed for so long was not understanding of my identity and worth.
Recently I read about the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15 who goes out to meet Jesus; this is perhaps one of the most awkward encounters we see in Jesus’ ministry. (Not because of her, but because of Jesus.) It is also one of the few times Jesus uses the words “great faith.”
For context, the Canaanites were a group of people considered cursed by God because of their enmity with Israel. They were also idol worshippers. So automatically, the Canaanite woman’s culture, religion, and tradition make her an outsider who had no claim to the promises of God. Yet she comes crying to Jesus out of sheer desperation, asking for healing for her demon-possessed daughter.
A similar scene plays out again and again in Jesus’ ministry. People were constantly seeking Jesus for healing and bringing the sick and oppressed to Him. But this time, Jesus responds differently. Jesus ignores her plea. The disciples see Jesus’ silence to this outsider and ask Jesus to send her away. As if His silence wasn’t confusing enough, when Jesus does speak to her, His words are harsh and cold. He replied to this desperate mother, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs” (Matthew 15:26 NIV).
It is almost as if Jesus is trying to push her away, but this woman only pulls in closer to Him, kneeling before Him. “’Yes it is, Lord,’ she said. ‘Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table’” (Matthew 15:27).
This woman’s boldness to go to Jesus and her audacity to ask again and again is so inspiring. Even Jesus is amazed at her “great faith.”
Too often when we pray and God seems silent, we become offended or disappointed. We assume that God doesn’t care about our lives or that He thinks we are insignificant. But those are the moments God uses to grow our faith, just like He did with this Canaanite woman.
James 1:3-4 (CSB) teaches us “that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.”
Great faith has to be produced. Her desperation made her pursue Jesus but He used her persistence to produce great faith.
Friend, it is easy to pull away when you feel pushed down by life. It is hard to keep praying for the same thing when God seems silent. Maybe you have felt like God has rejected you, doesn’t care, or thinks you are insignificant. But the Canaanite woman’s story shows us that sometimes God doesn’t immediately answer our request because He wants us to spend more time talking to and pursuing Him. God doesn’t just want to answer that one prayer, He wants to produce great faith in us so that we can run this race with endurance.
This encounter isn’t about how Jesus changed His mind and gave in to her request. It’s about Jesus changing her mind about who she believed she was — an outsider who didn’t deserve the blessing of God and couldn’t belong to the family of God.
The Canaanite woman went home with her miracle, but also with the knowledge of her identity and worth.
Friend, if you feel unseen, unheard, or like an outsider, let this story remind you: You are not invisible to God. You are not insignificant. He sees you, knows you, and invites you to draw closer to Him. When you persistently pursue Jesus, even in moments of silence or confusion, you will discover more than an answer to your prayers — you will discover His heart for you.
Your identity and worth are not determined by the world or your circumstances but by the God who calls you His own. Pull in closer to Him, and let Him meet you there.
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