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God said it; she believed it . . . not! But it was counted to her for faith!

She wanted healing for her daughter, and she asked for it.

He ignored her. Like she was wallpaper. As if she had no feelings, no voice, no existence. I can read body language. I know when I’m not wanted. I probably would have left right then. Not this woman!

Then he started talking about her to others in her presence, and the words sounded like, "I don’t have to help this woman. She’s not from our country." Surely, that would have sent me scurrying. Not her!

Finally, she came right up to him, not in arrogance, more as if she were approaching the grandest king, which indeed he was. She broke into his line of sight, and he spoke to her this time. It sounded like, "If I helped you, it would be like taking the children’s bread and feeding it to the dogs."

Body language, indirect communication, and now a statement directed straight at her, all seemed to say, "Buzz off, woman, I’m not going to help you." The wonder is that she didn’t believe. She refused to believe the most apparent meaning of the words coming out of the mouth of God.

Further, the apparent insult of being called a dog seems to have slipped right by her. She immediately accepted the dog’s position at the master’s feet under the table, and claimed the dog’s portion, the crumbs from the children’s meal.

This woman got her healing. She also received a commendation for "great faith," one of only two such commendations in Matthew (8:10).

"Great faith"? So far as I can tell she didn’t believe. That’s pretty crumby faith!

The only way I can figure it is that she felt in his presence a drawing to him and responded within a relationship that went deeper than the mere words. For me, faith is not just believing the words, but also believing the person. Faith is trusting my need and my case into the care of God and because of that, also trusting that God’s words will some day make sense to me and I will recognize that they have come true.

God said it. Instead of faith crumbling at his puzzling words, her faith reached out for the priceless crumbs.