What attitude impresses God?

²⁶ Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged

him to cast the demon out of her daughter.²⁷ And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” ²⁸ But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.” ²⁹ And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” ³⁰ And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. Mark 7:26-30

Jesus was clear about his mission while on earth.  His ministry was to the Jewish people to reconcile them back to God.  Yet several times the scriptures highlight his interaction with Gentile people.  In this passage a woman, more specifically a mother, approaches Jesus asking him to heal her daughter. 

She has a need but Jesus is not motivated to meet her need because it was outside his scope of ministry. Then she said something that impressed him.  It was more than a good line of reasoning.  It was her broken attitude for mercy from one who did not deserve mercy that impressed Jesus.  Her statement of asking for just a crumb of mercy caught Jesus attention.  Merely asking for a crumb showed her brokenness.
There is an attitude that catches God’s attention…a broken spirit.  You can’t fake it.  You can’t manufacture it.  Your words and your emotions must be aligned.  Listen to David in Psalm 51:17 A broken and contrite heart, O God you will not despise.  At one point Jesus is walking toward Jericho when a blind man continues to cry out, “Son of David, have mercy upon me.”  He was being obnoxious to the entire crowd.  But Jesus heard his cry for mercy, stop and healed the man.

How can you develop a broken and contrite heart?  Begin to see how needy you really are.  If you can fully take care of your life’s problem, then why do you need mercy?  If you know that EVERY good and perfect gift comes from the Father, then you have an open hand to God to move in your life as you please.  If there is great need in your life, if you have prayed and still not received your answer, if you have asked God and are ready to give up, if you are thinking there is no way to bring your problem to a good conclusion, then you are close to being broken.  Empty yourself of all your “just one more try” and ask for God to show mercy.  However it works out, trust that it is from God.

Father, you are good.  I don’t like asking for mercy because it feels weak.  But that is really the point.  I am weak and you are strong.  Help me see when I am relying on my own abilities and not walking by faith in your love for me.  I do trust in your love for my best good.  In Jesus Name, Amen.