Stay Awake: Big Story vs. Little Story.
I'm a sucker sometimes. I settle for so much less than what my great God has already provided for me. I settle for a little story when the story that God invites me into is big, spacious, mysterious for sure, and worth buying the whole field so that I....so that we can savor the treasure.
I like what author Charlie Peacock says in his book, "New Way to Be Human". I like to call him Chuck. "Still, I often wonder, why didn't somebody tell me the whole Story and invite me to participate in it? Our usual contemporary method of telling the Jesus story has focused far more on saving people from hell than saving them to unceasing life with God."
Unceasing life with God. God invites us to a bigger story. Easy to write or say, harder to live up into. Just because it's hard, doesn't mean it isn't real. It's not just about me only, now only. It’s His kingdom advancing in us and through us NOW AND LATER! What you say, do, feel, hunger for and think about matters now and later. All of a sudden, our words, thoughts, feelings, actions, and appetites are not just about us and just about now…they are about God and His kingdom advancing in and through us affecting you, your husband or wife, your children, your children's spouse, their children, your grandchildren, your parents, your friends, those who don’t know and love Jesus. Your heart being blown wide open, my heart being blow wide open, aching for Jesus, like you ache for a lover. Dude, ease up. Nope. This is real. Big story.
In the bible book of Hebrews chapter 11, there is this amazing list of names from the bible. The reason they are listed in this particular place is that they lived lives that were marked with having ruthless faith in God. So...an impressive list. In the beginning parts of this list you have names like Abraham, Joseph and Moses...big dogs in bible lore. Towards the end of the list you have some other stellar names like David, Gideon and Samuel...again, the cream of the crop in bible land.
Tucked right in the middle of all these stud bible heroes is the name of Rahab. She was known as a whore, a prostitute. Apparently a faith filled prostitute. Really? The whore makes the who's who list of bible faithfulness? Remember. Big story. Stop and consider the landscape of your own heart along the way and this is one of the most amazing and encouraging moments of God's story. The whore makes the who's who of faith!
You can find Rahab's story in the bible book of Joshua, chapters 2 and 6. Here's the quick skim. The leader of the people of Israel hears that God will deliver the city of Jericho into their hands. He sends spies into Jericho to scout it out. Because they are in enemy territory, they go to Rahab the prostitute's house to hide. She has caught wind that the God of Israel is on the move and will conquer her city of Jericho as well. Her king gets word that spies are in her home and he sends soldiers to confront the spies, but Rahab hides the spies on the roof of her home under stalks of flax and diverts the soldiers away, protecting the spies. Before the spies leave her home, she implores them to spare her and her family when the destruction of her city ensues. They told her to gather her family in her home and to not let anyone leave. They instructed her to drop a scarlet cord out the window of her home and that it would be a sign for that home to not be destroyed when attack of her city would take place.
And, drum role.....she does it. She drops the cord out of her window. How does she know that it's true? She doesn't. How does she know that she and her family will be spared? She doesn't. Why act with such flimsy foolishness to stand on? Does Rahab somehow know that she's being invited into a bigger story than her anonymous nights of costly intercourse?
In the unseen realms of the whore's heart, somehow she does. She drops the cord. And my whore heart too. And yours? Hoping, grabbing for a bigger story. She and her family were saved.
Lea, my wife, wrote the words to a song entitled, "Rahab's Prayer". They are a powerful declaration of the good news of the life of God offered to you and me. In the midst of our sin and shame, even when the walls are falling all around us...be merciful to us, rescue us, use us in your kingdom, return for us and take us home to live with you forever...not as whores, but as worshippers. This is a stunning hope. Stunning. I close with Lea's words from "Rahab's Prayer."
"Mighty Jehovah
God of power and mystery
Be merciful unto me
In the midst of my sin and shame
In the midst of my sin and shame
Use me as a tool
Even when I'm far from you
Honor me and build in me a trust
That rests on faith alone
Knowing your promises are true
Even when the walls are falling all around me
Even when the walls are falling all around me
And millions die, oh they die
Teach me to claim your oath that you have gone to prepare a place for me
A place for me
And will return for me again....."
Big story.
There's more.