Pastor Paul E. Penno
There are two kinds of prayer. There is self-centered prayer and there is agape-motivated prayer. For the most part, all that Jesus hears day in and day out for century after century are self-centered prayers. “Lord, I need some food to eat.” “Lord, my mother is sick, please heal her.” “Lord, I need a car. My old one is costing too much to operate.” “Lord, please give me good grades so I can get into that career school.” “Lord, I’ve gotten myself into a mess now, if you get me out of this one, I’ll consecrate my life to your service.” [“But to claim that prayer will always be answered in the very way and for the particular thing that we desire, is presumption” (Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 96).]
We are mildly amused and gratified when our children are so dependent upon us that they constantly ask for money, or emotional support, or handouts. It makes them dependent upon us and so we feel like we’re in control. But constantly giving our children things only causes them to be more selfish and they never learn how to give to others.
Has God given us prayer in order for us to constantly be using it as a tool for getting what we want? Is God just some kind of giant Santa Claus in the sky who has a North Pole full of goodies that are showered upon us on demand?
Since we are Seventh-day Adventists, we ought to ask the question: What should prayer look like for a people who are preparing for the Lord’s return in view of the sanctuary truth? If Christians for centuries have prayed self-centered prayers, and the Lord has not yet returned, how are we to grow up in a more clear, and mature way in our prayers in order to hasten our Lord’s return? Certainly, since agape comes from Jesus’ holiest of all ministry, we should follow Him there into all truth as He has taught us by example. After all, the remnant should have learned something from six thousand years of Israel’s failures of the past. Jesus wants to teach us from our history the secret of overcoming self-centeredness by means of seeing His love radiating from the cross so that it becomes our glory.
The Hero of Our Story Is Jesus
The foil to Jesus’ purpose in our story is the disciples who are lukewarm in their devotion. They want to frustrate and hinder Jesus from going into the home of the Canaanite. The praying
Syro-Phoenician woman is the world whom Jesus saved.
Jesus took His disciples on a side trip into enemy territory to the north of Israel. He went on an excursion outside the boundaries of the church in order to teach His disciples a lesson in agape-oriented mission service. His divine foresight was focused on one woman whose need compelled her to be drawn to Jesus.
She was a pagan pure and simple. “The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter” (Mark 7:26). She was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician, and a Canaanite. As such, she was a Baal worshipper, which is the religion self disguised as the religion of the true God. Satan had convinced the pagans that all things living and dead were gods. This is how he gained entrance into this woman’s home