In chapter two of Joshua, we meet Rahab. We learn of how she hid the Israelite spies, how she declared her faith in the LORD, how she boldly asked for deliverance for her and her family, and…oh, yes…we learn of her profession. In the first chapter of Matthew, we read of her placement in the genealogy of Christ; quite a contrast. The first time she’s mentioned, we learn she is a harlot; the next time she’s mentioned, we learn she has a heritage. What altered her life? I think it was her faith; I think it was her encounter with those who served this mighty God she had heard about. I think her hearing became sight, her sight led to actions, and her actions led to a public display of faith: a scarlet cord hanging from a window in the wall. It was simply a cord, but it was a symbol of her belief, it was a sign for her deliverance, and it resulted in security in the family of God. And it all started with something as simple as placing a cord in a window.
Can’t we all do that? Shouldn’t we all allow our faith to be seen hanging from the walls we tend to build around us; a simple proclamation of our faith, of our hope, of our deliverance? That’s what this blog is about; I am tying my cord of faith to my ever crumbling walls so that others may see in me something that draws them to the One who handed me the crimson cord of salvation. May I display it proudly, and weakly, and humbly, and feebly, but always timely.
The more God shows me about my heart and my hurts, the more I learn about the hearts and hurts of others. God has made each of us uniquely individual, but He has also made us uniquely similar so that we can be a source of strength to one another. Hebrews 10:24-25 states that we are to “consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…exhorting one another…”. Oh the resources we have to share with one another through the lessons we learn when God makes His truths three dimensional; we hear them, we read them, but when we experience them we develop a whole new level of understanding.
It is my intention to share with you what God is teaching me so that, together, we can allow His Word to truly become “living and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and [be] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of [our] heart.” (Heb. 4:12) God is gracious in the manner in which He allows us to learn vicariously. Rehab hid the spies on her roof because she had learned about their God through what she had been told; she heard and she believed. May we do likewise; may we take our lessons from God and share them with one another so that we may be an encouragement to one another and allow our walls to come down. Let us boldly put out our crimson cords of faith for others to see that they too may find refuge and restoration.