“He answered, and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the House of Israel.”
WE have here, perhaps, the shortest form of prayer on record. The soul is brought very low indeed before it is led to utter this prayer. Yet is it not for the comfort and encouragement of such poor souls that it is recorded in the Word of God? “He that cometh to God must believe that He is.” Here we have this belief. The prayer is addressed to God: “Lord, help me.” You may hardly know in what way help can be given. Your bewildered mind, full of entangled feelings, could not say to the kindest earthly friend how you would fain be helped. You only know that you are miserable and full of wants. Then this is the very time to cry to Him who has “all power in heaven and earth,” and with whom is no such thing as impossibility, or even difficulty.
Exercise faith: recall past deliverances, see how others have been helped. Look at the answer given to her who put up this very prayer, and whose strong faith, shown where all was apparently so dark and hopeless, is so highly commended by Him to whom she cried for help. Jesus said to her, “O woman, great is thy faith.”
“Lord, help me!” The words imply that you feel yourself helpless. Is not this the very point to which God has been working to bring you? It is He who has “brought down” your “heart through weariness.” Not that He is ever pleased with the sight of sorrow or suffering. It has been well said that God never takes away anything from us without meaning to give us something better in its place. It is hard for you at this moment to imagine how anything can be better to you than what you have lost: health and strength, or someone dear to you as your own soul, or some earthly prop and support which you hourly needed. But go to the Giver of all, good, and go in faith, and if this one word, “Help,” is all, you can utter, still say it, and remember you are saying it to One who is almighty, and whose very name is “Love.”
“Have mercy upon me, O Lord, thou Son of David,” cried this poor agonized woman, “but He answered her not a word.” And although He afterwards told her that as Son of David He was only sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel, yet she would admit of no rebuke, but came and worshipped Him, saying only, “Lord, help me.” We may surely take courage from her example of persistent faith and trust in the Lord.