A follow-up from “The Magnitude of a Mother’s Plea” . . .
The mother in Matthew 15 came to Jesus to heal her daughter. She was done railing against the demon who had her daughter captive. She was done seeking answers from all the places and people. This desperate mother knew who her fight was against. And it wasn’t her daughter.
Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely tormented by a demon.”
Matthew 15:22
This mother’s fight was with a demon. She needed the Only One who could beat it. She needed Jesus.
When we have struggles with our children, it so often feels like our fight is directly with them. Bad attitudes. Disrespect. Acting out at school. Disobedience. Fights and quarrels. But the Bible tells us that our fight is not with human flesh and blood!
Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.
Ephesians 6:10-13
How often does misplaced struggle and attack rob us of victory?
Victory comes when we face the right enemy [the cosmic powers of darkness, not our son or daughter] with the right weapons [the Lord and His vast strength and His armor].
The Canaanite mother came to Jesus because she realized He was the only One who could help her daughter, this precious daughter who was “severely tormented.” I’m sure all sorts of behaviors stemmed from that torment! But this mother didn’t fight directly with her daughter. She came to Jesus. And that’s where true victory was found.
