Leap of Faith

The Word of God is filled with stories of people who take a leap of faith.

One such person leaped to mind. (See what I did there?) The story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho is also the story of Rahab and her faith.

We first see Rahab when Joshua sent a couple comrades to spy out Jericho. There is no getting around it: Rahab was a prostitute, and as such, there was plenty of coming and going around her house. A perfect place for a couple spies to blend in.

Yet somehow authorities got wind of the spies and showed up to demand information. Rahab thought quickly, and hid the spies on top of the roof, then goes downstairs and lied.

One of the many things I love about the bible is that it calmly tells truthfully what people did. It doesn't gloss over or sugar-coat.

Remember, Rahab had not been taught or raised not to lie. Could God have saved the spies without Rahab lying? Absolutely! But she probably never thought to ask Him and in the pressure of the moment, she did what came naturally.

You can read the full story of Rahab here and here.

My point in mentioning Rahab is this: She took a leap of faith to align herself with the Children of Israel against her own people. She believed in the reputation of God, and we know she had faith. The writer of Hebrews tells us so:

By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace. (Hebrews 11:31 NKJV)

James explains to us that not only did she have faith, she took that leap of faith and put it to work:

So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.
Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. (James 2:23-26 NLT)

She didn't know it at the time; but God had a plan for Rahab's life, and it was a beautiful one. She was to marry one of the princes of Judah and end up in the lineage of King David, and ultimately Jesus Christ.

How about that for a leap of faith?

This is the last post in "Walk the Walk Christian Living Series," written from the perspective of a recovering perfectionist. You can go here to find all the links to the posts in the series.


I'm linking this post to the community at #TuneInThursday