Reason #437
Have you ever been there, been at that point in life where you couldn't possibly feel any lower? You couldn't possibly be more discouraged or disappointed with how your life was turning out? This wasn't really how you had pictured it as a child. This wasn't where you saw yourself "5 years down the road." But it's how things were now. And the days drug on as did the sorrow. How would things turn around? It seemed too far gone for God to do anything good, plus, what could He do with a situation like yours anyway?
Rahab was a prostitue, and although I don't know her personally and have never talked to her, I have to believe it wasn't what she had pictured for herself as a little girl. Like most little girls, I bet Rahab pictured that she'd grow up and she'd find a man who would love, accept, and desire her. He would sweep her off her feet and they'd live happily ever after, complete with a few kids and a cozy little home. And, if she pictured herself doing anything else besides being a mother and a wife, it was something honrable and commendable. Something her family wouldn't be ashamed of. A job that was respectable. But this wasn't Rahab's current situation, this was far from it. Rahab was selling her body. Giving pieces of herself away every night. Probably feeling used, unwanted, rejected and worthless. The only value she held was the hourly rate someone was willing to secretly shell out for meaningless actions. And so this was all Rahab knew. She had been doing this for so long, how could she ever escape? Who would want to give an ex-prostitute a fair chance anyway? Would anyone ever look past her past? Would anyone understand? Was there a way out of this painful, dark lifestyle or was she stuck here forever?
Unexpected things began to happen. Men showed up, but not to take advantage of her. These men were looking for nothing more than help. Strangers that she invited in. She took them at their word. After all, what did she have to lose? Every one seemed to think the worst of her anyway as they casted judgemental looks in her direction. But these men were different. They knew who she was, they knew what she did, but it didn't seem to bother them. And so here was her chance. A chance to do something right, for once. To make a good decision. A glimmer of hope at an escape. And so Rahab stepped out in faith and she believed them. More than that, she believed in the God they served. She knew of His power and I have to believe that she realized this was the only way things were ever going to change for her.
The Israelites attacked Jerico, her home. Tucked safely inside with her family, God honored her faithfulness and spared her life. In the midst of death and destruction, God resuced her. He rescued her from a hopeless situation, He gave her a second chance, and He accepted her as His own. A prostitue, the lowliest of low, the least worthy, yet purposely saved by the hand of God.
Do you think it was by chance the men showed up at Rahab's house? I don't. Because nothing happens by chance when it comes to God's plans. He wanted Rahab, so He persued her. One who was seeking her out for who she was, not what she could do. He lead those men to her doorstep to save her life because God had bigger things in store for Rahab than she knew. God was going to do something incredible with Rahab's life, and so God rescued her. He had a purpose and a plan for her, and He was going to make sure that it happened. Saving her from an empty life, a hopeless situation, from death itself, God wasn't through with this woman.
Rahab became God's child. Scarlet sins washed white as snow. He didn't care about her past, He had rescued her from that and she was a new creation now. A valuable one, too. A new woman with a new purpose and a different life to live. Rahab had found the love and acceptance she had been chasing for so long, fulfillment and worth because she had been redeemed. And Rahab became a mother to Boaz, a grandmother to Obed, a great-grandmother to Jesse and a great-great grandmother to King David. Do you get where I'm going with this? A prostitue birthing a line of royalty. I bet she didn't ever expect this for herself either.
From one extreme to another, God changed her life. He took a hopeless, broken woman and He did incredible things. Things she would have never imagined in her wildest dreams. When we can't see a light at the end of the tunnel, we have to believe it's there. We may find ourselves in darkness for a longer amount of time than we'd prefer, but we must hold on. We must have faith and trust Him. Remember what all He has done, and most of all, remember that He is mighty to save. And the comforting thing in it all is knowing that God saves us because He isn't done with us. He wants to use us. He will rescue us even if everything around us is caving in. We're never too far gone for Him to turn things around. We can't be in too deep for Him to pull us out. He cares way more about us than about what happened in the past, and He is faithful to always redeem if we'll let Him. He will lift us up in due time, but we have to wait for that time to come, and when it does, we can always expect that He will do greater things that we ever thought possible!
#437 - Because He saves us so that He can use us.
"Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates, so I can rejoice that you have rescued me." - Psalm 9:14
Rahab was a prostitue, and although I don't know her personally and have never talked to her, I have to believe it wasn't what she had pictured for herself as a little girl. Like most little girls, I bet Rahab pictured that she'd grow up and she'd find a man who would love, accept, and desire her. He would sweep her off her feet and they'd live happily ever after, complete with a few kids and a cozy little home. And, if she pictured herself doing anything else besides being a mother and a wife, it was something honrable and commendable. Something her family wouldn't be ashamed of. A job that was respectable. But this wasn't Rahab's current situation, this was far from it. Rahab was selling her body. Giving pieces of herself away every night. Probably feeling used, unwanted, rejected and worthless. The only value she held was the hourly rate someone was willing to secretly shell out for meaningless actions. And so this was all Rahab knew. She had been doing this for so long, how could she ever escape? Who would want to give an ex-prostitute a fair chance anyway? Would anyone ever look past her past? Would anyone understand? Was there a way out of this painful, dark lifestyle or was she stuck here forever?
Unexpected things began to happen. Men showed up, but not to take advantage of her. These men were looking for nothing more than help. Strangers that she invited in. She took them at their word. After all, what did she have to lose? Every one seemed to think the worst of her anyway as they casted judgemental looks in her direction. But these men were different. They knew who she was, they knew what she did, but it didn't seem to bother them. And so here was her chance. A chance to do something right, for once. To make a good decision. A glimmer of hope at an escape. And so Rahab stepped out in faith and she believed them. More than that, she believed in the God they served. She knew of His power and I have to believe that she realized this was the only way things were ever going to change for her.
The Israelites attacked Jerico, her home. Tucked safely inside with her family, God honored her faithfulness and spared her life. In the midst of death and destruction, God resuced her. He rescued her from a hopeless situation, He gave her a second chance, and He accepted her as His own. A prostitue, the lowliest of low, the least worthy, yet purposely saved by the hand of God.
Do you think it was by chance the men showed up at Rahab's house? I don't. Because nothing happens by chance when it comes to God's plans. He wanted Rahab, so He persued her. One who was seeking her out for who she was, not what she could do. He lead those men to her doorstep to save her life because God had bigger things in store for Rahab than she knew. God was going to do something incredible with Rahab's life, and so God rescued her. He had a purpose and a plan for her, and He was going to make sure that it happened. Saving her from an empty life, a hopeless situation, from death itself, God wasn't through with this woman.
Rahab became God's child. Scarlet sins washed white as snow. He didn't care about her past, He had rescued her from that and she was a new creation now. A valuable one, too. A new woman with a new purpose and a different life to live. Rahab had found the love and acceptance she had been chasing for so long, fulfillment and worth because she had been redeemed. And Rahab became a mother to Boaz, a grandmother to Obed, a great-grandmother to Jesse and a great-great grandmother to King David. Do you get where I'm going with this? A prostitue birthing a line of royalty. I bet she didn't ever expect this for herself either.
From one extreme to another, God changed her life. He took a hopeless, broken woman and He did incredible things. Things she would have never imagined in her wildest dreams. When we can't see a light at the end of the tunnel, we have to believe it's there. We may find ourselves in darkness for a longer amount of time than we'd prefer, but we must hold on. We must have faith and trust Him. Remember what all He has done, and most of all, remember that He is mighty to save. And the comforting thing in it all is knowing that God saves us because He isn't done with us. He wants to use us. He will rescue us even if everything around us is caving in. We're never too far gone for Him to turn things around. We can't be in too deep for Him to pull us out. He cares way more about us than about what happened in the past, and He is faithful to always redeem if we'll let Him. He will lift us up in due time, but we have to wait for that time to come, and when it does, we can always expect that He will do greater things that we ever thought possible!
#437 - Because He saves us so that He can use us.
"Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates, so I can rejoice that you have rescued me." - Psalm 9:14
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