Mark 7:28 – "Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." (NIV)

At ten-plus years of age, my dog, Elliot, lives to eat, sleep, and watch the birds fly to and from the feeders in the front yard. Most of all, he loves his food — it doesn't matter what brand or type. He will even scarf up crumbs from beneath the kitchen table and the grain that the birds spill beneath the feeders. Since he had to scavenge whatever he could find in garbage pails a couple of years before he came to live with me, the veterinarian thinks that abandonment instilled a fear in him that makes him crave food. He fears that there will be no food tomorrow … or that he will be abandoned again. Thus, he overeats and scrounges whatever he can find.

Elliot's core problem is that he doesn't trust his human to provide for him. I wonder if we can be a bit like my dog. Perhaps we overeat and hoard more than we need, from fear that we will be abandoned or lack sufficient provision in the future. This makes me wonder if our core problem is also one of trust. Do we trust God to provide for us?

The woman in today's passage from Mark trusted Jesus to heal her daughter. When He tested her motives, she likened herself to the dogs scrounging beneath their owner's table. She begged Jesus for crumbs — a simple healing word for her afflicted daughter. She trusted that Jesus' compassionate heart would not turn her away.

Mark 7:29-30 – Then [Jesus] told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter." She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. (NIV)

Where do we place our trust?

Prayer: Father God, help us to trust You no matter how small or large our need, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Forward this devotional     Share on Facebook

About the author:

Cassandra Wessel <casswessel4319@gmail.com>
Tionesta, Pennsylvania, USA
Send your feedback to the author