A Woman Who Lives By Faith
Sunday, April 19
Joshua 2:1,8-16
She’s been in her industry for a while. She might indulge in loose talk. Perhaps she heard about important military information from those who visited her establishment. But God uses the sin of men to praise him. The forces of evil may contribute to the fulfillment of God’s purpose. Even someone like Rahab, considered a harlot, a prostitute in her society, may have a part to play in the fulfillment of divine purpose.
Her family probably all live together. She saved her household from disaster because of her quick thinking. She was able to hide the spies in her rooftop barley when she was questioned by city officials. Once the city officials left, she planned. The spies were lowered out of her window, she was told to tie a scarlet rope and hang it when they returned to take the land to guarantee her safety. She was courageous and took risks. Yes, she was a traitor, but she had heard about the Israelites. She believed the stories about their God. She lied to save the spies and her household.
Her story appears in two New Testament references, both of which describe her as a prostitute. This label is offered without judgment. The author of Hebrews celebrates her faith. The apostle James celebrates her work, noting that she did not simply believe but put her faith into practice. She is offered to us as a role model from whose faith and actions we have much to learn.
Her story reminds us to place everything before the judgment of God. In our busy lives it is not easy to know God’s purpose for us. We need to reflect, pray, read God’s Word, and soak ourselves in the Gospels.
Lord, show us who to accept into our lives. Give us strength to know what to do when we are confronted with hard decisions. Help us to choose your right ways. Amen.
Trust And Hospitality Lead To A Blessing
Monday, April 20
1 Kings 17:7-16
What a name I am called: widow woman. I guess I should be glad to be called by any name since I live in this sun-drenched, dusty town. There has been no rain here in I don’t know how long. When I lost my husband, my provider, my love, I was bitter and dismayed, but I did not give up. I have a son to take care of, so I prepared whatever I could with the little water and oil I had left.
I feel like something, or someone, is coming. That feeling is stronger now than it was yesterday. I need to prepare to cook something today, so I’ll gather some sticks. My kitchen is empty except for this cruse of oil and barrel of meal. I have only to make a cake for us. I am so hungry I could die, so I thank God for this sustenance.
As I gather my sticks, I hear a man ask me for some water. I don’t know who this is, but I will provide what I have. As I go to the house, I hear him ask for bread. I tell him the truth: “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die” (v. 12, NRSVUE).
Elijah realizes that a statement like that means fear is present. He tells the woman, “For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth” (vv. 13–14).
What good news this is! The God of Israel provides for those who trust and believe! The woman trusted in the man of God and believed what he said about the Lord God of Israel. She dropped her fear and was obedient. Elijah even healed her son from a sickness that would have led to his death. Praise be to the Lord!
Lord, help us to be hospitable and to see when God is in need of what we can give, even if it’s very little. Multiply what is in our hands and help us bless you with whatever you give us. Amen.
Prayer And Faith Lead To Healing
Tuesday, April 21
2 Kings 4:8-17
Here is a woman who has everything imaginable—a nice house, nice clothes, servants to cook, clean, and care for her belongings. She was called wealthy. Yet she was also hospitable. She didn’t hold onto all of her possessions. She was a giver and she was kind to the man of God. She put Elisha up in her house when he came through town. It was a cool place to stay out of the sun-scorched ground outside.
Maybe she seemed happy on the outside but was unhappy and sorrowful on the inside. Something was missing. She longed for a child. Some of us are like her, sad on the inside even though we have much that we possess. Stuff and things are not everything. They don’t give us joyful lives.
The man of God was appreciative for her hospitality and asked his servant, what could he do for her? His servant told him she had not been able to conceive. Elisha promised she would have a child within a year. How could she dare believe this could happen to her? But she dared to believe. And she had a child. A beautiful baby boy.
After he had grown, he was out in the sun too long with his father. He died and she was in despair. She laid him on Elisha’s bed and went all the way to Mt. Carmel to get him. Once she saw him and told him the child was dead, she said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” He went back to her house with her and went up into his room and positioned himself upon the child and prayed to God. The child became warm and sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
We worship our Lord Jesus Christ, waiting for his promise to us. Just as he gave his life for us and came back alive, we shall come back to life as he promised.
Lord, teach us to be persistent in prayer and to wait for your promise. Amen.
A Servant Who Trusts
Wednesday, April 22
Mark 1:29; Luke 4:38-39
She was such a servant that she is not even named in the text. “She serves” is how we know her. She probably did all the gathering of food, preparing, cooking and setting the meal on the table. It probably brought her much joy. If only she did not have the fever. She felt drained and tired. She was unable to do anything except rest; sleep was her only relief. When she awakened, she was still hot, feverish, and weak.
Then Peter came home with Jesus. Jesus went in to see her. He took her hand, and she rose from the bed feeling different, healed. She was so grateful that she finally felt normal. She trusted him and was able to say yes by taking his hand. Healing washed over her body, and she was filled with gratitude.
In her culture women served by preparing meals and doing other gestures that may seem demeaning or lowly to our standards. But she is doing the necessary thing, the thing that leads to joy and happiness. She serves, people are joyful, she’s serving her Master, and that makes her joyful. Jesus came to her house. What a joyful occasion!
Jesus has power to heal in the spiritual and physical realms. If we trust him, we can be healed to serve. As believers, we can be empowered and motivated to serve others once we have a touch from the Master’s hand.
Jesus had been in the town square, in front of everyone, healing people with his words and his actions. He calls us to go into all the world and preach openly the wonderful news of the gospel to the entire human race (Mark 16:15, The Passion Translation)! They will lay hands on the sick and heal them (Mark 16:18, TPT) and preach the message that heaven’s kingdom realm is accessible, close enough to touch.
Lord, help us to be grateful as you hold us in your hands. May our lives serve you. Heal us as we serve you. Amen.
Martha’s Lesson
Thursday, April 23
Luke 10:38-42
Jesus said, “Oh Martha, my beloved Martha. Why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions?” (v. 41, TPT).
Lord, I must tell you that my distractions are the same as Martha’s. First of all, she welcomed Jesus into her home. When we invite someone into our home, we want it to be tidy and full of sweet aromas from the kitchen. We are so busy trying to fix a good meal that we can be distracted by everything else around us.
Then Martha looked around and her sister was not helping. She was sitting in front of their guest, Jesus, soaking up every word. I’m preparing, cleaning, and cooking, and my sister is just sitting there! She could feel the heat rising up her neck and the scowl on her face. This is unfair! Why do I have to do all of this by myself? I would feel a lot calmer if my sister would just help me!
Martha did everything she knew to do. Her way seemed right, but she needed to add much more to reach the mark. Our Lord redirects her in love. This is her calling, her passion, but there is so much she can receive by being with the Lord. How can we be a better disciple? How can we learn to balance service and being in Jesus’s presence? Martha’s service is needed, but so is the fruit of the Spirit that only Jesus gives.
Lord, help us to seek the fruit of the Spirit as we walk with you. Amen.
Mary’s Sacrificial Oil
Friday, April 24
John 12:1-8
Mary took a pound of costly oil of spikenard and anointed the feet of Jesus. Looking on, some gasped and said in annoyance, “How extravagant!” Mary gave a remarkable gift to Jesus.
It wasn’t unusual to wash the feet of a guest, but it was unusual to do it during the meal itself, to use costly oil of spikenard to do it, and to wipe the feet with her hair. When a guest enters the room, the guest’s feet were washed with water and the guest’s head was anointed with a dab of oil or perfume. Here, Mary used this precious ointment to anoint the feet of Jesus—it was only good enough for his feet.
Mary’s gift was extreme. She used a lot (a pound) of a costly oil of spikenard. Spices and ointments were often viewed as an investment because they were small, portable, and could be easily sold. Judas believed this oil was worth 300 denarii (v. 5, NIV), the equivalent of a year’s wages. Mary’s gift was a remarkably unselfish, conscious decision. She also wiped Jesus’s feet with her hair, which meant she let down her hair in public, something a Jewish woman would rarely do.
The life of Mary is a study of devotion to Jesus. In each scene, she is sitting at the feet of Jesus, where she learned (Luke 10:39). Help us, Lord, to sit at your feet and learn. Mary fell at Jesus’s feet and surrendered (John 11:32, NIV). Help us, Lord, to fall at your feet and surrender. Mary anointed Jesus’s feet and honored him (John 12:3, NIV). Help us, Lord, to find ways to anoint your feet and honor you.
We must sit at his feet, or we will never anoint them; he must pour his divine teaching into us, or we will never pour out a precious ointment upon him.
Lord, let our devotion and worship speak to you like a fragrance of spikenard oil. Help us to worship you in spirit and in truth. Amen.
The Way We Should Live
Saturday, April 25
Psalm 143:8
This psalm is a plea that shows the righteous way to live and to have an internal spiritual understanding of God’s will. To ask God to bring word of his unfailing love in the morning directs our path for the day. This helps us know which way to go. Seeking God in the morning can give us direction in how to focus on God instead of determining what to do on our own.
In the morning, at the start of the day, the writer remembers that God is before him in the morning, ready to hear: “New every morning is the love.” In the morning, the psalmist makes ready for God. The psalmist declares in a spiritual sense that “in the morning will I order my prayer unto thee.”
In the morning, whatever else we do, we start with a purpose to face what God wills. In the morning will I look up. “I will lift up mine eyes (to the hills from whence my help comes)” is the only way to face life at any time. The morning offers a new chance to work with God in worship and devotion. God will be with you during the day and will lead and guide you. He will remind you of his word given in the morning.
A key theme here is David’s desire for God’s guidance and deliverance. David asks God to answer his pleas, emphasizing God’s faithfulness and righteousness. David lived in caves when Saul was trying to kill him so he needs God’s protection. He is dependent on God’s love and trust. He implores God to show him the way he should walk, because he trusts in him and lifts his soul to God, beginning in the morning.
All of us need God in this way as well. Early in the morning will I search for you, O Lord. My strength comes from you who made heaven and earth.
Lord, each one of us chooses you this day. Help us to seek your will every morning for your guidance, love, and trust. Amen.
