God in Control

For the past month we’ve been talking about how it feels when your life feels out of control and we’ve discovered that the solution is not tying another knot in the rope, but rather the answer is, often, actually letting go and falling into the loving hands of God. So what would it be like if we let God be in control from the beginning?

Rahab and Peter are Bible people who had their lives changed when they let God take over. When they stepped out of their comfortable zones, they discovered that God was more than able to accomplish more than they expected.

At first, Rahab seems like an odd person for God to use at all. Then you realize that God rarely uses the person we’d choose. Rahab is introduced in the 2^nd chapter of the Book of Joshua as a ‘harlot’. She is, it turns out, a woman with a heart for God, though. She hides the Israelite spies and tells them, “I know that the Lord has given you the land…for the Lord your God is he who is God in the heaven above and on earth beneath.” (Judges 2:9-11)

Believing that God was in control led Rahab to act treasonously (in the eyes of those in Jericho). By trusting in God, instead of people, she saved her family’s life (Joshua 6:23). Eventually she married one of the spies and became the mother of Boaz, who was great grandfather of David (Matthew 1:5)! I found this story so intriguing that my book Rahab’s Redemption is based on these few little hints in the Bible. Sometimes we can learn more by reading between the lines to discover the faith of the women in the Bible.

God asks Peter repeatedly to step outside of his comfortable box. One such time is recounted in Acts 10. The Roman Centurion Cornelius is told by an angelic vision to “send men to Joppa, and bring one Simon who is called Peter...” (Acts 10:5). For Peter, a Jewish man, to go to visit a gentile was unheard of. However, Peter himself has a vision and tells Cornelius, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit any one of another nation; but God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection.” (Acts 10:28-29)

Peter hears Cornelius’ testimony of his own vision and understands, “God shows no partiality, but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” (Acts 10:34-35) He then preaches the Gospel to the centurion and all his family and friends who are converted and baptized.

 

 

Just this week, while reading an online meditation (d365.org), I came to this prayer which gave me pause and, for me, summarized the theme of these past weeks: “God, deliver me today from self-preservation so that I might believe you without reservation. Amen.”

Both Rahab and Peter didn’t consider ‘self-preservation,’ which would have dictated that they remain obedient to the laws of man. Instead they were obedient to the Spirit of God. By being willing to step out in faith, Peter converted an enemy. Rahab had to step out of her comfort zone in order to rescue the spies. In doing that she found welcome and learned the meaning of living a life of faith in God.

May we each listen more to the Spirit that says, ‘Have no fear. Come, follow me’ and less to the little voice that says we have to follow certain rules in order to ‘be safe’ or ‘successful’. Take Paul’s claim as your own, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7) and live boldly with God in control!

Next time, we’ll start our final series of this Pentecost journey that started with living into the joy of Psalm 100 and learning to Abandon Self to God with Charles de Foucauld. We also saw how ministry grows like a seed and ‘we know not how.’ Each step along the way has been another way of looking at how we can live faith-filled lives with our Loving God in control.

Ordinary Time Excursion-Rahab

Last week we visited Naomi of Bethlehem, a sad and bitter woman, who found herself transformed when God acted in her life. This week we back up along the historical time line to the conquest of Jericho and meet Rahab.

Rahab of Jericho is often overlooked, even by people who read the Bible. Of all the books I have written, Rahab’s Redemption is the one that people most often look perplexed about. “Who is Rahab?” they ask. Her story is encapsulated in the second chapter of the Book of Joshua with a brief mention in chapter 6:22-23. Then we hear nothing more about her until the genealogy of Christ in Matthew. “and Salmon (or Salma) [was] the father of Boaz by Rahab” (Matthew 1:5).


The little reference in Matthew shines a great spotlight on Rahab. Rather than just some harlot in Jericho who happened to give sanctuary to a couple of spies and saved her family—Rahab is one of the few women named in the lineage of Jesus Christ! She married one of the spies and became a faithful Jewish woman!

Despite her pagan upbringing, God was able to use her generous heart to fulfill his Plan. Although she was a harlot, perhaps a prostitute for the temple of Baal or Astarte, Rahab tells the spies, “I know the Lord has given you the land…there was no courage left in any man, because of you; for the Lord your God is he who is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” (Joshua 2:9-11) Her faith is mentioned in both Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25 as an example to follow.

In our culture, the ‘big names’ get the headlines in sports, business, entertainment, etc. Often the rest of us, the ordinary folk, get forgotten as we go about our duties and prayers. Even in the Bible, Joshua gets the top billing, and Rahab is relegated to a few verses.

My husband and I recently spent a few days in Leadville, CO. Surrounded by lovely scenery and interesting history, it is easy to focus on the men who made the area famous because they found gold or silver and forget the thousands of miners who toiled underground to acquire that wealth. You forget, that is, until you drive outside the city and see the remains of hundreds of mines—dreams of riches and grandeur lost to time. Men who gave their last penny and often last breath of life for the elusive ore are forgotten, even by those who benefited.

Ps. 37: 3-4 reminds us of a different way to real life, “Trust in the LORD, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Rahab willingly cast her lot with the invading Hebrew tribes. She did trust in the Lord and found security and the desire of her heart. The men, and women, seeking fame and fortune a century ago in Leadville trusted in their own abilities. Even those who found wealth rarely found peace of mind. Horace Tabor, owner of the richest mine of the era, died a pauper because he trusted in himself and his wealth. True peace is found in trusting in our God and delighting in God’s way.

When we think about Rahab of Jericho, we should be reminded that none of us is too insignificant for God to use. CS Lewis tells us, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snug, and exploit…Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbor, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Chist vere latitat—the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden. (The Weight of Glory)

I wonder what difference it would make in my life, in your life, in the world, if we were conscious of the Christ hidden in each of us. If we, like Rahab, were truly willing to cast our lot with the God of Israel who is “the Lord your God is he who is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.”

Next week, our excursion takes us to see Sarah, wife of Abraham who tried to force God's hand.

Quiet Time

In the past few weeks we’ve looked at some steps we can use to determine the path our life journey should take. It’s a process called sometimes called discernment. We walked with Hagar and discovered that despite appearances and her mistakes God did not desert her. During Lent we are going to meet some other women from the Bible and see what they can teach us about simplifying our lives and more importantly becoming true to our own heart’s call.


You may have decided to ‘give up’ something for Lent. That is a perfectly valid thing to do, when what we give up helps us remember God more. Just saying, ‘I won’t eat chocolate for Lent’ without also replacing it with a discipline that enriches us is rather empty. The real purpose of Lent is to focus us on God and God’s call on your life and mine.

Can you say that giving up chocolate will help you be more authentically the person you were created to be? Maybe…or maybe not…

Something that is guaranteed to change you is making the decision to spend some time daily with God. One important component is to that is listening. In order to listen, we have to be quiet. That may take the form of an actual time of retreat away from the normal routine or it may just be a few extra minutes a day that isn’t hemmed in by cell phones, i-pods, computers, and chatting.

Rahab of Jericho found that her life was radically changed when God acted. When she first came to the tents of Israel after the fall of Jericho, Rahab was confused about the God of the Hebrews. She spent time pondering the differences between the gods she knew and served and this Diety.

I waited beside the banked fire until every person in the encampment was in their tent. There was much to think about. The God of the Hebrew was powerful, yet the people were not terrified of the deity. The priests of Astarte invoked the wrath of the goddess and intimidated everyone in Jericho with threats. How could this people continue to test their God? I thought of the tales I heard from travelers. They spoke of special food and water springing from stones in the desert. The story of the vipers in the camp chilled me until I remembered Sarai telling of the bronze serpent that healed those who believed.


“What kind of God are you to provide healing even as you punish?” Into the darkness I breathed the question. “Astarte requires endless propitiation. The goddess does not do the wonders I have heard of nor does she answer prayer. It seems that you are a god who offers succor even in the midst of the pain. Truly you must be great, El Elohim Israel.”


The silence was reassuring even though no answer came. I slipped into the tent and under my blankets still pondering the faith of these former slaves and the God who they worshipped.


“El Elohim Israel,” I murmured the name of the god into the night until sleep claimed me.*

It was still not easy for Rahab to find acceptance or to understand the ways of her slowly growing faith. Occasionally, like for me and you, there were moments of insight during her quiet time.

Suddenly I did understand, if only in that moment, that there was indeed only One God. I recognized that throughout my life, I had indeed been upheld by someone beyond what I was taught to believe in.


“I did not know your name but I have known your power and touch.” I fell to my knees in wonder. “My mother told me of the God of Jacob. She wondered if the God her father served was the True One. When Jamal and Salma came to Jericho I recognized that they served you. Truly all my life you have been beside me. Yet how can you love someone like me?”


An often quoted saying sprang to my mind unbidden, “This day have I begotten you.”


In the darkness of my tent the words took on a new meaning. I understood that the God of the Hebrews accepted me as if I was a child. For a long time I knelt in the darkness. The anger and fear drained away. Peace settled over me. I slept deeply, no longer afraid to face the future.*

Eventually, she comes to real faith and is accepted as bride of Salma, one of the spies. Their son was Boaz, grandfather of Jesse and great-grandfather of David, who became King. The ways of God are often amazing. That a follower of Baal and Astarte would become the ancestress of Jesus Christ is not something even a great novelist would dream up. Yet that is what happened.

Rahab learned about the Holy One of Israel from her new friends and by taking time to be with God. She discovered that her true calling was as a faithful woman, wife, and mother. She used her gifts of compassion and healing to encourage the refugees and was honored.

Can you find 15 minutes, half an hour, or even just 5 or 10 minutes to put away the busy-ness of day-to-day life and sit quietly? A friend who is the directress of a girls’ group (Jr. Daughters of the King) introduced them to a concept that we all might benefit from. It’s the P-Q-R-S-T discipline and is perfect for an outline of ways to spend time with God.

P is for Prayer

Q is the all important Quiet time

R is a reminder to Read scriptures and devotional books

S is Service to others that comes out of our time with God

T is taking Time to Think about our Walk with God

I encourage you to try a few minutes of quiet each day. Maybe turn off the TV a bit earlier or skip a program or just shut yourself in your room for a little while to be alone with God. What changes might happen?

Come back next week to meet Naomi on our Lenten pilgrimage.

*All quotations are from Rahab’s Redemption by Cynthia Davis. Available online from Amazon.com and the author.