Deeper Still

In my "Be Strong and Courageous" post I mentioned that I am doing a precept study on the book of Joshua with some women in my church. This morning I started this week's assignments and it took me through Joshua 2.

In this chapter, Joshua sends to spies to the land of Canaan and they hide out in Rahab's house. When some messengers from the king of Jericho come looking for the men, she diverts them and enables the spies to escape. They make a promise to spare her and her family when the time comes for Joshua to lead the Israelites into the land provided that she ties a scarlet ribbon in the window through which she escaped, and as long as she and her family stay in her house. In Joshua 6, we learn that Joshua sends the two spies to bring Rahab and her family out of the house before destroying the city. She and her family are spared.

That in itself may seem like a huge thing, but there are some other things about Rahab that make this story so much more fascinating.

Did you know that Rahab was a prostitute?

Did you know that Rahab is in Jesus's lineage?

As I was reading this morning, all I could keep thinking was this : No one is beyond God's reach.

God used a prostitute to help fulfill a covenant he made with Abraham. He used a prostitute as part of Jesus's lineage. This filled me with such hope.

I feel like often times, people who are engulfed in a sinful way of life are easily written off... that they can't be helped or they are too far gone.

No one is too far gone.

As far gone as someone may seem, God's reach is farther still.

As engulfed in sin as someone may be, God's reach penetrates still.

As deep as someone may be in the pit of despair, God's reach is deeper still.

One of the passages we had read at Isaac's memorial service came from Romans 8, and part of it said this:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-Romans 8:38-39

I don't know where you are this morning in terms of your relationship with God. But I want you to here this: No one is beyond His reach. Nothing can separate us from His love. His love reaches deeper still.

This brought me great comfort today... that even in the times when I feel like I am in the pit of despair and am completely "unusable", His love finds me... His grace redeems me... and He is still able to use me.

It's the hope of my heart that this would somehow encourage you today.