{"id":24205,"date":"2025-02-12T00:04:05","date_gmt":"2025-02-12T00:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/?p=24205"},"modified":"2025-02-12T00:04:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T00:04:05","slug":"jesus-answered-not-a-word","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/2025\/02\/jesus-answered-not-a-word\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesus Answered Not A Word"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cBut Jesus answered not a word.\u201d\u2014Matthew 15:23<\/strong><\/p>\n

What! not a word from the compassionate Saviour, who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities? Is he deaf to the cries, and dumb to the entreaties of a distressed sorrowful heart? No; love in the heart has always an open ear to complaints, a ready tongue to speak comfort, and a kind hand to relieve. But Love afflicts, to bring his children to him, and to make them call upon him: he forbears to answer, that they may be the more importunate. God\u2019s delays prove faith\u2019s vigour, make love cleave the closer, prayer more fervent, and patience shine brighter. So the graces of God\u2019s children are drawn forth into lively exercise, and are made manifest that they are wrought by God. Perseverance obtains the blessing in due time. Jesus honours and applauds the grace of his beloved members with. Oh man, oh woman, great is thy faith.<\/p>\n

Christ knew what work he had wrought in this poor humble supplicant\u2019s heart, whereby she knew Jesus to be both Lord and God; therefore he proved and tried her, that her faith might shine bright to his glory and her soul\u2019s comfort. As she possessed the same faith, so she discovers the same resolution as Job: \u2018Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.\u2019 And, with Jacob, she would wrestle; and her heart determined, \u2018I will not let thee go except thou bless me.\u2019 But though the silence of Jesus was very disheartening, yet when he speaks, it is still more discouraging. Though she worshipped him and sighed out, \u2018Lord, help me,\u2019 yet Jesus seems rather to repulse than to comfort her. But true faith ever sinks the soul in humility, while it clings close to the most high God. The soul owns its hateful vileness and utter unworthiness, and fixes all its plea upon free grace and mercy, all its hopes upon Jesus only. Thus Christ empties those whom he delights to fill. He makes us to see and confess ourselves to be dogs, fit only to feed under the table, though he loves us as children, and all that he hath is ours, by free gift, precious promise, and rich grace. Oh thou poor, fearing, doubting soul, who hast long been seeking, waiting, and praying for comfort, in a word or look from Jesus, take courage hence. Ever trust in him who saith, \u2018I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.\u2019 Jer. 31:25. The believing, importunate woman did not wait in vain, far from it. The blessed Saviour said to her at length, \u2018Be it unto thee, even as thou wilt;\u2019 and this afforded her abundant joy. \u2018The Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.\u2019 Is. 30:18<\/p>\n

My spirit looks to God alone;<\/p>\n

My rock and refuge is his throne;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In all my fears, in all my straits,<\/p>\n

My soul on his salvation waits.<\/p>\n

Trust him, ye saints, in all your ways,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pour out your hearts before his face;<\/p>\n

When helpers fail, and foes invade,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

God is our all sufficient aid.<\/p>\n

<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What! not a word from the compassionate Saviour, who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities? Is he deaf to the cries, and dumb to the entreaties of a distressed sorrowful heart? No; love in the heart has always an open ear to complaints, a ready tongue to speak comfort, and a kind hand to relieve. But Love afflicts, to bring his children to him, and to make them call upon him: he forbears to answer, that they may be the more importunate. God\u2019s delays prove faith\u2019s vigour, make love cleave the closer, prayer more fervent, and patience shine brighter. So the graces of God\u2019s children are drawn forth into lively exercise, and are made manifest that they are wrought by God. Perseverance obtains the blessing in due time. Jesus honours and applauds the grace of his beloved members with. Oh man, oh woman, great is thy faith.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":325,"featured_media":20656,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1571],"tags":[1197],"class_list":["post-24205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-william-mason","tag-spiritual-growth"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/325"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24205"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24214,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24205\/revisions\/24214"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}