God's Partnership Gives Us Hope
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
Memory Verse
“God is our mighty fortress, always ready to help in times of trouble.” (CEV)
Luca climbed up the playground rock structure after his cousins. They hung out there for a bit and then climbed back down. As Luca leaned over the edge to follow them, he realized it looked a lot higher from the top than it had from the bottom.
“Help, I can’t get down.”
His older cousin Isla looked back at him and climbed up. “Here I’ll help you down. I can’t carry you, but if you slide in between me and the rock, I can show you where to put your hands and feet and make sure you don’t fall.”
He nodded, and together Luca and Isla climbed back down the rock wall.
God’s partnership gives us hope, because we know that he, like Isla, is “always ready to help in times of trouble” (Psalm 46:1). While he is strong enough to carry us, God usually wants to work with us.
In today’s Bible reading, we see the story of Rahab and the Israelite spies who were snooping around Jericho. In the end, she asked the spies to spare her and her family’s lives. They told her that they would if she tied a red rope out of her window.
You can’t really tell when reading the Bible in English, but that rope was a sign of Rahab’s hope and partnership with God. If you were hearing the story in ancient Hebrew, you’d know the word used for rope is Tikvah (Teek-VAH) which means both rope and hope. Rahab expected God to save her, and because she had this hope, she was willing to work with him (by tying the rope to her window).
Next time you’re nervous to do something, maybe you can find your own Tikvah to show God that you want help and that you are willing to work with him.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for being willing to help me all the time. Please show me how I can work with you to help myself and others. Amen.Related Resources
Christina Van Starkenburg
Christina Van Starkenburg is an award-winning freelance writer and author of The Key Thief and One Tiny Turtle: A Story You Can Colour. In her free time, she enjoys reading, dancing, and exploring the world with her husband and three kids. Visit her at www.christinavanstarkenburg.com to read more.