We are taught in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith it is impossible to please God. What is this faith that pleases the Lord? According to the rest of the verse it is a faith that believes that God is, that God is worth finding and enjoying. My pastor wisely reminds us that the faith that pleases God believes that “He is, He Can and He Will.”

Sometimes we read “into” a text instead of “from” a text. Often we have been told that even a little faith is somehow all that God desires, that “faith as a grain of mustard seed” is all that He requires. We read size “into” the text and conclude (falsely) that the Lord is OK if our faith is small, tiny, miniscule. If just a little faith is all the Lord desires or requires, then why is “little” faith so often rebuked? Are we to somehow believe that the Lord is honored if I believe Him to be 1% credible and 99% not so credible?

When looking at Matthew 15:21-28, we see a case study of the type of faith the Lord commends. The faith of this Canaanite woman overcame four hurdles, hurdles that often trip up today’s contemporary and casual believer. The text will reveal that this hurting, tired and desperate woman was:

I. Ignored–The Saviour initially ignored her plea.

II. Marginalized–The disciples did not consider her or her case to be of value.

III. Categorized–She lived in a gentile land and was from a condemned people, things over which she had no control.

IV. And Possibly Insulted–She could have taken offence by Jesus’ illustration of taking the “children’s bread and casting it unto the dogs.”

But she was not going anywhere. She believed that Jesus was Messiah and that He had power over demons and that He could set her daughter free from her tormenting bondage. She kept her eyes on Him and demonstrated a faith that was tenacious. This is the faith that pleases the Lord. It isn’t a matter of amount but of perseverance! The Lord is honored, not by a paltry faith, but by a persevering faith. Why don’t we just determine that when it comes to serving the Lord, especially in local church ministry, that we are going to tenaciously persevere! Ignored? Stay! Marginalized? Stay! Categorized? Stay! Insulted? Stay! People will not generally see what is in us until they see us graciously and courageously going through what is around us, staying faithful to the Lord! We would call this faith a remarkable faith.