Lately much of the anxiety that I have comes from all the "huge" decisions that are looming above my head....that is until God took me on a stroll through the book of Joshua today. I love how He continues to surprise me with things I've skimmed over a million times. This is the story of Rahab the prostitute. She lived within the city of Jericho, and when two spies were sent over the walls to scope out the city, she hid them on her roof after they promised her that they would spare her family when they attacked Jericho. One little slip up in this deal and an entire history would have to be re written.
Rahab, being a prostitute, was the outcast of her people. she was a the end of her rope, the bottom of the totem pole. When the two men told her what and why they were coming, she remembered what she had been told about the God of the Israelites. Rahab knew that He parted the Red Sea and delivered them from Egypt, and this is what she said, "And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted: neither did there remain any courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God over heaven above and earth beneath."(Joshua 2:11)
The most eye catching part of this story is that the Israelites were the ones caught up in the middle of God moving and working right in front of them, and Rahab only heard about it. God knew His next move. He saw the masterpiece before the brush was ever dipped in paint. Despite the generation of freed captives that had refused to obey Him, God began to prepare the heart of a city that would soon belong to His people.
For some reason, I think Rahab sensed that she was a part of something much bigger than her torrid circumstances, than her sin. If God could do all these thinfgs for the people He cared about so much, maybe He could help her out too. Rahab looked at God and at her circumstances, and knew that without Him, she would surely die. Rahab played an essential part in God's plan for His kingdom. If she looked upon her pain with an "I can fix it myself" attitude, instead of relaizing that the mess she was in could only be cleaned up by a God who worked miracles she only heard about, the entire history of God's people would be completely different. Rahab also became part of the lineage of Jesus Christ.
Way too many times we get caught up by circumstances and scary decisions and forget that our God is not a God of circumstance. He is a God with a meticulous and carefully crafted plan for His people. We forget the part we play in in the masterpiece that God paints. His hand is much better with the brush than our own. He knows what He's doing.
So remember this when you can't sleep at night, when you don't know which way is up, and you're scared of what lies ahead:
1. God cared way more about your future than you ever could.
2. You won't get anywhere without God leading you there.
3. No matter what tomorrow holds, the hand that holds it won't let you go.
<3k
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