Look at this Canaanite woman! She asked God only for crumbs, and she received a miracle. How often we ask for a miracle, and receive only crumbs!
What's the difference between us and the Canaanite woman? Apparently she had great faith in God. But why was her faith so much greater than ours? Because she had no faith whatsoever in herself! Look at her self-image -- She calls herself a "dog"! How would a modern-day pastor have responded to that? He would have encouraged her to "have high self-esteem" and "believe in yourself". These words are pleasant to hear – but would they have healed her child? And they are absolutely the reverse of what Jesus said. He commended her words! According to Jesus, the woman was right and the pastors are wrong.
You must make a choice. You may depend on God or depend on yourself, but not both. Whoever said, "God helps those who help themselves" was dead wrong. "God helps those who surrender themselves" is more appropriate. Whoever said, "God is my copilot" was dead wrong. God is pilot, or He is nothing.
Many Christians prefer to depend on themselves because they are afraid of the consequences if they depend on God. They are afraid that God will leave them with only a few crumbs. But the woman was satisfied to receive crumbs from God, while we are not. We would rather prepare a feast for ourselves than share a simple meal with God.. We think you can do better on your own, with just a little help from God . We just want Him to enhance our quality of life. But God's business is not to "add flavor" to your life, He is not a sprinkling of MSG.
Our expectations of God are based on a self-concept which is utterly fallacious. Notwithstanding what we are taught in church, we feel we are "basically OK people". In reality, we are totally degenerate, perverted, selfish worms. Apart from Christ, we have no intrinsic value. We are weeds fit to be burned. Without Him, we can accomplish absolutely NOTHING. All of the feeble efforts which we are so proud of, all of the money and success and comfort which we heap up for ourselves, is of far less worth than the spider's web which is demolished with one brush of the hand.
God does not want you to "feel good about yourself". He does not want to "enhance your self image". He wants you to obliterate your "self", and replace it with Christ in you.
God is not at all interested in satisfying "your" desires. He wants to replace your desires with His desires. Only when we allow Him to do this do we begin to see our prayers consistently answered, and fear of God is metamorphosed into the joy of the Lord.
Prayer: Father, forgive me for holding onto my own desires and my own ability to fulfill them. Lord, I am willing that You might empty my vessel of Self, and fill me instead with Your Spirit. I am powerless against my own weakness, fear, selfishness, and pride—strengthen me by Your Spirit, to put Self to death. I pray in the name of Jesus Your Son, who died that we might die with Him, and rose again that we too might be raised anew.
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