I did get to go to the retreat a couple of weekends ago; it was a beautiful day after a foggy drive over to Lake Guntersville and a marvelous time with ladies that, by and large, I'd never met before.
One other BSF buddy was there, and, of course, Suzanne.
What a treat to see them both and hear Suzanne teach again.
And, you know, she pointed out something that I had not considered when I was studying Joshua.
From a military standpoint, the reconnaissance that the spies did in chapter 2 was unnecessary. God had the entire plan laid out for them; they didn't need to go in and look around.
But Rahab needed them to come in so she could escape the doom of the city.
I just hadn't realized that. The whole episode was about Rahab...saving the one in the city who recognized and honored the God of the Israelites. Oh, I'd seen that it was an incredible sequence of events that connected her to the spies, but I hadn't considered the true value of their adventure from a military standpoint. They learned nothing that they needed to know. But they met Rahab and cut a deal with her and as a result she and her whole family survived the fall of the city.
What lengths will God go to in order to deliver one who honors Him, even in the midst of a culture that wants nothing to do with Him?
The phrase that jumped out at me from the weekend...based on Rahab and her bold bid for survival... was 'Take the risk.' I'm not sure how all of that is going to play into the expression of all that is in my heart, but I am encouraged that God is capable of sending someone on a boondoggle journey to give me the opportunity to step out into the unknown if that's what it takes.
