Several years ago, I was walking past a book store and a book title caught my eye. It was entitled
“Bad Girls of the Bible”
by Liz Curtis Higgs. If you have not read it, I strongly recommend it.
The book highlights several women in the Bible who came from sorted pasts, but God used in a mighty way.
The entire book points to a God who majors in mercy and grace. One character in the book is Rahab. Probably a familiar story to most of you. The story of Rahab unfolds in the Bible, Joshua chapter 2. Joshua sent out 2 spies from the Israelite camp and instructed them to scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan river, especially around Jericho. The two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab (NLT). The details of the story are spelled out in the scripture passage, but I want to call attention to verse 11(KJV).
It says” …. our hearts did melt … for the Lord your God
,
He is God in heaven above, and in earth
below.”
At that moment a life changed! If you go on and read about Rahab you will see that in Matthew 1:5 she was the mother of Boaz, Hebrews 11:31 “It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed(NLT)”, James 2:25-26(NLT) “she was shown to be right with God by her actions, …..so also faith is dead without good works.” Despite her background, her faith and actions worked together and revealed a woman who believed in God. No matter our past God asks us to believe in Him and live out our faith through action. When we turn to God and do what He instructs us to do God can use us in powerful ways.
I have been doing some research on Mexico for a publication for Women’s Ministries. In that process I ran across a staggering statistic. In 2018 over 20,000 women and young girls were the victims of human trafficking. What was even more alarming to me is that approximately 75% are brought across the border into the United States. My heart breaks for these women and precious children.
What an opportunity God has placed before us in the country of Mexico. Go back to Rahab……a life changed. There is still hope for these women in Mexico. Remember I said that no matter what your background we serve a God who majors in mercy and grace. Pray that God will reveal to you what your role in the ministry in Mexico will be.