Compassion to Save

A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."  He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."  The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.  He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."  "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."

Matthew 15:22,24-27

We know that we can't catch Jesus off guard and this was part of God's plan.  So then why was He resisting healing her daughter until the end, at which He enthusiastically claimed this woman has great faith; enough to heal her daughter from demon possession?  He claimed that He was there to save the lost sheep of Israel, not for a Canaanite.  In the end we know Jesus came to save all so the woman was in God's eventual timing.  Did the woman interrupt the order of things or was it God's plan to reveal Salvation was for everyone when the appointed time came?  Did this act of mercy show God's compassion; thus, providing hope to the Gentiles?  Did this also plant seeds of humility in the hearts of Israel?  I'm not sure how all this fits together but through this passage I get to witness God's mighty compassion to save and to heal.  

This scripture reminds me of our Father's love and His ultimate goal for creation.  Int the end, God wants all of His children to stand united with the common goal of praising and worshiping our Creator.  Having a pure and holy relationship with our Father without the burden of sin is unimaginable right now.  I need to keep God's master plan in mind and not just look at my God-given life's goals; this is beyond even our short-term goals.  When someone is delivered to us, we cannot dismiss this person just because it doesn't fall within "our" calling or "purpose."  We need to submit to every anointed appointment.

Glorious Father, praise and honor to You for fitting every piece together so carefully.  Thank You for always recalibrating our hearts to come back to Your goals & desires instead of what we often call "our purpose."  We're reminded that "our purpose" is a small piece of Your plans and I need to keep that in focus daily.  Thank You my loving Lord & Savior, Amen!