Greg Laurie - Jesus and the Mother Who Wouldn't Give Up (02/15/2026)
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Pastor Greg compares everyday faith—like trusting GPS, pilots, or chefs—to putting faith in God, who is far more trustworthy. Using Hebrews 11:1 and the Syrophoenician woman's persistent faith in Mark 7, he shows true faith is belief plus action that won't quit, even when prayers seem delayed, urging us to bring desperate needs to Jesus and never give up praying for our kids or others.
Everyday Faith and Trust
Okay, how many of you have GPS in your car, on your phone? That'd probably be most of us, right? And so we program the address in. You know, sometimes if I'm going up to LAX, even though I know how to get there, I'll put LAX on my GPS. By the way, the worst airport in the world. Anyway, I digress.
So I've had times where I'm driving in LA. I know what freeway to take. I know what the off ramp is. But suddenly, GPS will say, "Take the next off ramp." I'll say, "Oh good. GPS is helping me. GPS knows what's happening up the road. Maybe there's a wreck or something. It's taking me around."
So I obediently turn off as GPS tells me to. And it says, "Turn left on this street. Turn right on that street. Turn left here. Stop. Get out of your car. Jump up and down five times. Get back in." Wait, what is going on here? Then I say, "I'm just gonna go the way I know to go." And then it goes into its little mode. Recalculating. Recalculating. Recalculating.
And then do this and do that, et cetera. So why do we do that? Because we trust in technology to get us where we want to go. And the bottom line is, all of us put our trust in something. All of us have faith in general.
Faith in Daily Life
When you go to a restaurant, you're applying faith. You're expecting that food will be prepared properly. It will be fresh. It will be sanitary. When you board a 747, you have little understanding of aerodynamics. But despite that, you expect that this metal tube weighing over 900,000 pounds is somehow gonna get off the runway, go to your desired destination and land.
You trust the pilot and the co-pilot and the people who are directing them. Know what they're doing. You're applying faith in all of these things every day. You go to the pharmacist. They fill your prescription. You expect they're gonna put the right pills in that little bottle.
You go and get a surgery. You expect they're gonna do the right surgeon. You apply faith in so many areas of life. So someone says, "Just have faith in God." And suddenly, we recoil and say, "There's no way I can put my faith in God."
But listen, there's no safer place to put your faith than in God Himself. After all, who's more trustworthy? The chef in the kitchen? Or the creator of the universe? The pilot in the cockpit? Or the one who spoke the universe into existence? The surgeon with a scalpel? Or the great physician who can heal both our body and our soul?
So we put faith out every single day. Even atheists have faith. Now, they don't necessarily have faith in God, but they have faith. Some put their faith in technology. Some put their faith in science. Boy, science has sure let us down a lot lately, right?
What Is Faith Really?
Jesus says, "Have faith in God." Okay, good. What is faith exactly? I think we overly mystify faith. It's defined for us in Hebrews 11:1. And the Bible says, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Or as the New Living Translation puts it, "What is faith? It's a confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It's the evidence of things we cannot yet see." Faith is belief plus action. Faith is not giving mere intellectual assent to something. In other words, I acknowledge that may be true. It's putting my weight on it.
For instance, when I climb on this platform, I expect that it's built well and it will support my weight of 150 pounds... in my left leg and the other leg as well. You know, when I step onto the platform, that's saying now I believe it enough to stand on it, to believe it's true for myself.
The devil gives intellectual assent to certain truths. If I could interview Satan, which I would not want to do, I think we might be surprised how orthodox he is in some areas of theology.
Demons Believe But Don't Have Faith
As an example, if I were to ask the devil, "Lucifer, let me ask you this. Do you believe the Bible is the word of God?" He would say yes. "I hate every word of it," he might say, "but I believe it's the word of God."
If I were to say, "Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?" Grudgingly, he again would say yes, because the Bible says that when Christ was tempted, Satan said over and over, "Since you are the Son of God."
But the Bible even says that demons believe and tremble. So they acknowledge the power of God, but they don't have faith in God. So faith is applying yourself. Faith is belief plus action. Faith does things. It does things.
The Bible says faith without works is dead, in James 2:17. A faith with no works is a faith that does not work. And Noah, of course, used faith. When he built that ark, it had never rained. There was no body of water to take his ark to. It would be like building a cruise ship in the middle of the desert in Arizona. Why are you doing that? But you see, he put feet to his faith, so to speak.
David, when he ran toward his adversary, Goliath, he was applying his faith. You see, faith is not just something we talk about or put in a display case and admire. It's something we use. It's not unlike muscle. The more you use your muscle, the stronger it becomes. If you fail to use your muscle, it will atrophy. In the same way, faith grows stronger through use.
And the Bible tells us, indeed, that the just shall live by faith.
Faith That Makes a Difference
Now, it's very easy for us to tell someone else they should have faith. But we don't always have it ourselves. Heard about a lady that went to her pastor and said, "Pastor, my husband told me if I keep coming to this church, he'll kill me."
The pastor said, "Now, now. God will protect you. Have faith in the Lord and just keep coming." "Okay." And she came back to him again. "Pastor, my husband said, 'If I keep coming here, he's gonna kill me.'"
"No, no. You'll be fine. God will protect you. Have faith in God." Then one day she came and said, "Pastor, my husband said, 'If you keep coming to this church, he'll kill you.'" The husband said, "You know there's a nice little church on the other side of town, you might..."
See, it's easy to tell someone else to have it, but when it comes to us, it might be something altogether different.
Listen to this, faith can make the difference between something happening or not happening. Faith can make the difference between something happening or not happening. Look, God is sovereign and powerful, and He can do what He wants, when He wants, wherever He wants, but yet He primarily chooses to work through us.
Like, God could have sovereignly parted the Red Sea without any assistance from Moses, but the Lord told Moses to stand there and hold out his staff in faith. God could have brought fire down from heaven in the story of Elijah and the false prophets, but He told Elijah to pray first.
Jesus could have healed everyone when He walked this earth, but He didn't, did He? There were people that were still sick after Christ had His public ministry and died and rose again, but then there were those that were healed.
And who were the ones that were healed? So often they were the ones that called out to Him, like blind Bartimaeus, hearing that Christ was coming his way, and he said, "Son of David, have mercy on me." And they said, "Quiet, don't bother Jesus." And he yelled louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me." And what happened? Jesus stopped and healed Bartimaeus.
And then there was a woman that had the medical issue that caused her to constantly bleed. She had spent all of her money on doctors. And she just reasoned, "If I can touch the hem of His garment, I will be healed." And one day Jesus comes walking through and she manages to slip her hand through the crowd and touch the edge of His robe, and suddenly the healing power of God was released in her life.
And Jesus stops and says, "Who touched Me?" The disciples effectively say, "Who didn't touch You? Everybody touched You." Ah, He says, "but I perceive that power has gone out of Me." What caused that power to go out of Him? Her faith. Her faith extended. Her faith put into action.
The Faith of the Syrophoenician Woman
Well, I bring this up because before us here in Mark chapter 7 is a story of faith. The faith of a woman who is desperate. The faith of a woman who effectively would not take no for an answer. It's the faith of the mother who wouldn't give up.
Let's read about it. Mark 7, starting in verse 24. "Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre. He didn't want anyone to know which house He was staying in, but He couldn't keep it a secret. Right away, a woman who had heard about Him came and fell at His feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil spirit, and she begged Him to cast out the demon from her daughter. She was a Gentile born in Syrian Phoenicia."
"Jesus told her, 'First, I should feed the children—My own family, the Jews. It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.' She replied, 'That's true, Lord. But even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children's plates.' 'Good answer,' Jesus says. 'Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter.' And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed and the demon was gone."
We'll stop there. What a powerful story that is. So here we see this woman was a model of faith that we should emulate. In fact, in Matthew's commentary on this same story, Matthew 15:28, we find Jesus says, "O woman, great is your faith."
So He wanted others to pay attention. Check out this girl's faith. Look what she has done. Now, think about this. Jesus is obviously an expert on the topic of faith. God incarnate, He is, who created all things. He has known every person He has ever called, from Abraham to Moses, from Sarah to Ruth, from Elijah to Elisha, from Peter to John.
Yet He specifically commented on her faith. But what's going on? Her daughter, her beloved little girl, has come under the power of a demon spirit. And I think our children today are under spiritual attack, perhaps more than any other generation I've ever seen.
Spiritual Attacks on Children Today
And one of the main ways this is happening is through social media. You've heard the phrase, social contagion. It's real. It means that you take something that actually spreads in a viral way. And take gender dysphoria as an example. In the past, a very small percentage of people would deal with this. Now, there's a sharp increase among Generation Z, specifically among adolescent girls, identifying as transgender.
This is reinforced by influencers, celebrities, school curriculums, media in general, glamorizing this, normalizing this. And we have so many young people now grappling with this that did not grapple with this in a generation earlier.
Then we have witchcraft that has been romanticized like never before, from crystals to tarot cards to astrology. People say, well, it's just self-care. It's harmless. And they're opening the door to the devil. And I believe that people can still be demon-possessed today.
So this is a very real problem. And as parents, we need to be good spiritual leaders and pay attention to this.
Lessons from a Desperate Mother's Faith
And so, what are some takeaway truths from the story of this woman? Well, she had a desperate need and a relentless faith. She had a desperate need and a relentless faith. Listen, she didn't have any basis to approach Christ. Why? Because she was a Gentile, verse 26 says, born in Syrophoenicia.
So as a non-Jew, as a Gentile, she lives in a pagan city that Christ specifically went out of His way to visit. So He effectively leaves the country. He's becoming more popular. The crowds are swelling. And it's like Jesus says, we're leaving the country now. We're going on foot. No Uber, no cars, no anything. Just, we're gonna walk there because He had an appointment with this woman.
And He arrives there. And she probably worshiped false gods. She probably worshiped the goddess of her people known as Ashtart, the goddess of fertility. She was disillusioned with this. She felt Jesus could intervene and help her.
But her daughter finds herself possessed by demons. And there were probably little idols in her home. And it just reminds us that what we do in the home really matters. Because our kids are watching us. Little ears are listening to all of your conversations. Little eyes are watching the way that you live.
Children don't just listen to what you say. They watch what you do. As an example, you drink in front of your kids and wonder why they one day end up with their own alcohol problems. You crack open a beer and say, well, I need this to relax after a hard day of work. And then you see your kids turn to alcohol for comfort and escape. And you wonder, how did this happen? Where did they learn this behavior? They learned it from you.
You fight with your spouse. You scream, you yell, maybe even use profanity. Then one day, your son or daughter shouts back at you in disrespect. And you wonder, where did they learn that? They learned that from you. They learned it from the way you treat your spouse.
Or you skip church often and wonder why your kids don't care about God. You go to church when it's convenient. Then your kids grow up and they don't go at all. Because you showed them church was optional.
It just got so quiet in here. Am I stepping on some toes? You have a very limited period of time with your children before they grow up. Precious days and weeks and months that slip by. Don't waste them. Take the time to train your children in the way of the Lord.
To train means you have to correct at times. You give parameters. Listen to this. Your kids don't need you to be their best friend. They need you to be their parent. Parent your children. Tell them what's right. Tell them what's wrong. Have rules. Have absolutes in your home.
But then, the word train also means to stimulate their thirst. So it means that you're to provide constraints and parameters. But at the same time, hopefully in the way that you live, you motivate them to want to have a relationship with God like mom or dad has.
When Prayers Seem Unanswered
So this poor woman, you know, her daughter was now under the complete power of the devil. And so she finds Jesus. And she says, please, touch my little daughter. And Matthew 15:23 gives us a commentary. It says, He answered her not a word.
So wait, here's Jesus. He says, He's going out of His way to visit Tyre and Sidon because He wants to have this moment with this woman. Now she finally comes to Him and pleads that He would deliver her demon-possessed daughter. And He answers her not a word.
In other words, He ignored her. He blew her off. Was Jesus ghosting her? Was He ignoring her? Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt as though God wasn't listening to your prayers? He wasn't paying attention to what was going on?
Nothing could be further from the truth. Why is it that our prayers are not answered more often in the affirmative? Let me give you a couple of reasons.
One answer may be there's something going on in the spiritual realm that you or I don't even know about. In Daniel chapter 10, there's a fascinating story where we find the prophet Daniel praying. And an angel is dispatched from heaven with the answer to his prayer. And then the angel arrives 21 days later. That's a long time for an angel. Because they move fast, by the way.
And then the angel explains, I was on my way to you with an answer to your prayer. But I came to a fallen angel, a demon-powered that overcame me. So Michael the archangel was dispatched to overpower that other angel. And now here I am with the answer to your prayer. Wow.
So who knows what's going on? When you're praying, you think God's not listening. Oh, things are going on. And just remember, His delays are not necessarily His denials. This is why Jesus said, men are always to pray and not give up.
But another reason our prayers are sometimes not answered is because of unconfessed sin in our life. Nothing will bring your prayer life to a halt more quickly than unconfessed sin. Psalm 66:18 says, if I had not confessed the sin of my heart, my Lord would not have listened.
In Isaiah 59, the Lord says, listen, My hand is not too weak so it can't save you. It's not that I'm becoming deaf so I can't hear you. Here's the problem. Your sins have cut you off from God. And because of your sin, He's turned away and will not listen anymore.
So I need to confess my sins on a regular basis because you and I, we sin way more than we think we do. Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer to pray, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us."
Right? Now in context, He says, pray for God to give you your daily bread. Not your monthly bread, not your yearly bread. Each day, give me my daily bread. And right after that, and forgive us our sins. Looking at that in context, it would appear to me I not only need to pray for daily bread, I need to pray for daily forgiveness.
And there may be unconfessed sin in your life and that can be hindering your prayers from being answered.
The Woman's Bold Response
Now let's come back to the story. So here's this woman, "Lord, Lord, heal my daughter." And then Jesus says, now listen, "I can't take the food from the children and give it to the dogs." Did Jesus just call her a dog? Actually, He did.
Now let's understand what word He used because in those days, there are two words that were used for dogs. One word is used to describe the mangy packs of dogs running around on the street attacking people. That's not the word He used.
Years ago, I was in a third world country and I went for a run and I was being chased by wild dogs. I can tell you I ran faster... because I did not want to be bit and even worse, eaten by the dogs. Okay? That's not the word He used.
There's another word to describe dogs that means the little puppies. So effectively, Jesus says, you know, it's not right to take the children's bread and give it to the little pets, the little puppies.
And then she says, "Oh yes, Lord, but even the little puppies get the crumbs that fall from the master's table." Can't you see this is a playful exchange? I can't prove it. But I think there was a little bit of a smile on the face of our Lord.
I think she could see that. I think she had strong faith that would overcome this so-called hurdle. And I think Jesus knew she would overcome the hurdle and He would ultimately commend her for this amazing faith.
But she can see the love in His eyes. She can see the compassion. And then she presses on and then He does the most amazing thing. He says, okay, I'm going to give you exactly what you want.
Look at verse 29. "Good answer. Now go home. The demon has left your daughter." I think the disciples' jaws dropped to the floor. What just happened? What just happened?
That girl was revealing how we should pray. And what do we learn from this? Jesus answered her prayer because of her persistence, tenacity, and commitment. When the door was shut in her face, she only knocked harder.
It reminds us of Jacob who was wrestling with the Lord. And he finally says, "I won't let You go until You bless me."
Persistent, "Hysterical" Faith
We don't always know the will of God, do we? So we pray to the best of our ability and we ask the Lord to do certain things for us. But when we're praying as an example for a non-believer to be saved, you're praying according to the will of God. Because the Bible specifically says God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Here's the secret to answered prayer in the affirmative. You need to pray according to God's will. Well, how do you figure that out? Well, Jesus said in John 15, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you."
There's another translation puts it, Jesus speaking, "If you maintain a living communion with Me and My words are at home with you, you can ask at once for yourself whatever your heart desires and it's yours." Wow. Whatever my heart desires? Yes. Whatever your heart desires.
But check this out. When His word is at home in you and you're maintaining a living communion with Him, you're gonna pray according to His will. You see, you're gonna be aligned with His purposes.
So this woman prayed. She would not give up. She had what I might describe as hysterical faith. Let me explain. I read the story of a middle-aged mother named Angela. She was doing some housework, washing some dishes and suddenly her son, a junior in high school named Tony, who was working on his '64 Chevy Impala, there was a loud crash. The car crashed on top of her son and he was lying unconscious under the car.
So Angela burst from the kitchen, lifted the car 10 inches off the ground and pulled her son out. And there's a phenomenon that describes this thing that happens occasionally and it's called hysterical strength. Hysterical strength. The strength of a mother who won't give up.
Well, we need hysterical faith. We're not gonna give up. Jesus says, knock and it shall be open. Seek and you shall find. Don't give up in your prayers. And that's what this mother was like. She kept praying. Keep pressing on. Never stop praying for your children.
Sidlow Baxter, a commentator from days gone by, put it this way and I quote, "Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, and oppose our arguments. They can even despise our persons, but they're helpless against our prayers."
Key Takeaways from the Story
So what do we learn from this story? Number one, faith is often found in the most unusual places. It is grace, not the place, which makes people believers. God sought this woman out even though she was not an Israelite or a Jew. He took hold of her faith as she took hold of Him.
You know, it's funny how Jesus commended faith on two occasions. And neither one was with one of His people, with the Jews. Rather, it was these Gentiles. She was a pagan woman and the other one was a Roman centurion who asked Jesus to intervene for him and Jesus said, "I have not found faith like this in all of Israel."
Number two, no matter what you're facing, bring your problems to Jesus. What are you going through right now? Bring it to Jesus. Pray about it. Don't worry about anything, Paul reminds us in Philippians 4. Pray about everything. And the peace of God that passes all human understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
Some people say, well, I'm not worthy to approach God. Can I tell you something that might surprise you? You never were worthy to approach God. You never will be worthy to approach God. Your access to God was never based on your worthiness. It's always been based on His sacrifice. He gives you access to God through the blood of Jesus Christ.