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• Matthew 15:21–28
• Many in today's culture believe in a "vending machine" Christ who will always give us what we ask for, when and how we want it.
• That's why we are confused and frustrated by Jesus' actions in this text.

• We can understand the other times in the Bible when Jesus was silent.
  -Matthew 27:12, 14; Mark 14:60–61
• We don't understand why Jesus ignores this desperate woman because we believe that Jesus should always speak, act, and give.
• Our culture is obsessed with noise, but sometimes we need silence.
  -Illustration: Places like Auschwitz, Jonestown, and the Vietnam Memorial are characterized by silence.
  -1 Kings 19:11–13
• How do you worship a Christ who ignores you in your time of need?

• Jesus tells the woman that he was come to shepherd the Jews.
• The woman responds by worshiping Jesus even though he has not helped her.
• 2 Chronicles 20:20–25
• Worship is primarily a noun before it is a verb.
• The woman says, "Lord, help me!" You don't have to have a long talk with Jesus.

• Jesus calls her, and her race, a dog.
  -Mark 7:27; Acts 1:8; Romans 1:16
• The woman agrees with Jesus; she understands grace.

• Sometimes we need to get out of our comfort zones if we want an answer from God.
• God will not always give us what we want.
  -Illustration: Smith tells the story of his wife's death, even though the entire community was praying for her.
• Big Idea: God may be silent for a while, but if we worship and humbly persist, he will eventually speak.