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July 16, 2013
When You're Hanging on by a Thread |
"The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all." Psalm 34:19 (NIV)
I have a dear friend whose husband didn't want to be married anymore. Sure, she knew there were problems in their relationship, but this devastating news blindsided her. We prayed together. She sought counseling and even invited her husband along. Still, no matter her attempts to save her marriage, it was falling apart.
I've never seen her so helpless, so troubled, so lost. She was hanging on by a thread. I understand the darkness she was in and know the weakness and heart-wrenching pain because I've been there. Most of us have experienced terrible news that took us by surprise and left us hanging on by a thread.
Perhaps you're there now. You may be experiencing a broken relationship. Maybe you need to be saved from some addiction or financial trouble. Whatever the case, you feel alone, scared and weak. Your situation is hard, wrenching and painful. You're losing your grip on faith.
I could tell that my friend was losing her grip on her spiritual foundation. In her deep despair, all she had was a thread of hope to hang on to. What was that hope? It is the promise of God found in Psalm 34:19, "The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all."
Such was the case of Rahab, a prostitute whose story is told in the Bible. Rahab owned an inn near the city gate of Jericho, the city soon to be conquered by the Israelites.
Rahab had heard about God's greatness and had come to believe He was the one true God. So she hid the two Israeli spies that Joshua, the commander of the Israelite army, had sent on a scouting mission into Jericho.
The king of Jericho heard that the spies had been at Rahab's home, so he sent orders for her to turn them over. When the king's soldiers questioned her of the whereabouts of the spies, Rahab misguided the soldiers and sent them on a wild goose chase after the spies whom she had actually hidden on her roof.
Once the soldiers were gone, Rahab asked the spies to save her and her household. She promised to keep silent about their mission if they would spare her family when the Israelites invaded the city of Jericho. The spies told her to hang a scarlet cord from her window as a sign to the Jews to protect her.
Rahab obeyed and when the walls of Jericho fell, Rahab's life, and all those in her household, hung by the thread of hope that the spies would keep their word.
They did, and she and her family were spared from the destruction when the walls of Jericho crumbled. Her household was passed over. Protected. Delivered.
Like Rahab, the only thing my friend had between herself and total destruction was a thin thread of hope. It proved to be enough. Although her marriage came tumbling down, she was saved from total destruction. When all was said and done, she still had the love of God, the hope He offers and the peace He gives.
Each of us needs a thread of hope—a reminder that just as Joshua saved Rahab, God can save each of us. He may or may not change our circumstances, but He can protect us from being taken under the falling rubble that surrounds us.
He is there when we're hanging on by a thread. Even at our weakest point, a simple cry such as, "Lord, help me" invites the hand of God to take hold of our situation. And deliver us.
Dear Lord, thank You that Your salvation is far reaching. It not only takes away my sin and provides eternal life, but also it helps me for today. Help me, Lord, as I throw to You a thin thread of hope. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
If you're hanging by a thread, visit Micca Campbell's blog for prayer, to pray for someone or to share your scarlet thread.
An Untroubled Heart by Micca Campbell
At Proverbs 31 Ministries, we pray every day with women who are hanging on by a thread. Recently, Diane called our office and shared her plans to commit suicide. By the grace of God, she allowed us to pray with her and she chose to continue living and to get help. Would you partner with us in reaching women like Diane?
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Reflect and Respond:
In what ways can you put up a thread of hope as an indication to God that you need Him to save you?
Power Verse:
Psalms 145:18, "The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." (NIV)
© 2013 by Micca Campbell. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
630 Team Rd., Suite 100
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org
Originally published Tuesday, 16 July 2013.
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