The Bravest Flowers

I recently went hiking in Colorado with my family. The ground was steep, and cold wind whooshed through the valley. The thin air hurt in that burning way that makes you wonder if you will ever take a full, satisfying breath again. The rocky trail climbed up and up, with no relief in sight, all the way to the peak. The victory of reaching the top was overshadowed by the relief that the climbing part was over.

The view was incredible. We could see for miles—mountains and forest and ponds. But the view at our feet was the one that caught my delight. Here and there, clumps of tiny flowers dotted the rocky peak of the mountain. The brightly colored petals laid flat, then bounced back in defiance of the battering wind. Purple, yellow, pink, and white, they grew in scrubby clumps, each one tiny, but strong. Enduring the elements, they fearlessly glorified God with their beauty and contribution to the ecosystem. Brave beauty in a surprising place.

Of course these flowers made me think of Rahab. Her faith in God bred defiant courage in the face of the brutal winds of culture. She looked for the imminent arrival of God’s people—something that melted the hearts around her with fear. But not Rahab. She had been watching for them, hopeful for the future, in spite of what must have been a difficult past and present.

So many of us would have given up. But like the plants clinging to their place on the side of the mountain, Rahab held on, rooted strong, refusing to let the wind and rocks win, proclaiming the beauty of the One True God.

Her words are recorded in Joshua chapter 2: “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and everyone who lives in the land is panicking because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings you completely destroyed across the Jordan. When we heard this, we lost heart, and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on earth below.” (NIV)

What a gift, to have Rahab’s proclamation of faith available to us. Notice, she doesn’t call God a god, like one of the pagan gods of her culture. She calls Him YHWH. She knew God’s name, as He most certainly knew hers.

Before God rescued Rahab from destruction, He gave her saving faith. An eternal gift no one could take from her. He didn’t stop there. In His grace, He later gave her a new life with His family. A place to belong. In Jericho, before the rescue, the spies—her new brothers in the faith, promised, “We will give our lives for yours.” And they kept their promise. They brought her and her family out of the rubble and welcomed them in.

Rahab courageously said yes to the one true God, and she glorified God with her faith and the rest of her life. She is featured in Matthew’s genealogy of Christ— the mother of Boaz, the great great grandmother of King David, and many generations later, Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Rahab did not have a big, showy gift that afforded her glamour and popularity. Her days were just as mundane as yours and mine. She, a stranger and a Canaanite woman had difficult past that may not have been easily welcomed. She arrived with her family—more mouths to feed. Starting over with the people of God couldn’t have been easy. But God had a plan, and He made a way.

Climbing the path to the peak of that mountain, I struggled. I needed help and encouragement, and God made a way, for me and for the flowers. He didn’t flatten the mountain or stop the wind from pushing them (and nearly me) down. He didn’t make it easy. But He kept us. He made a way. He didn’t let the struggle win.

When God says, “I will be with you,” we can believe Him. He is faithful. He keeps His promises. And when we look back, we will see His mighty hand, present and steady, full of enduring love and grace. For the times we lose sight of it, the evidence is all around us, maybe even right at our feet. Courage, dear ones. God is with us!

Questions for reflection:

1. What is the figurative mountain you are climbing right now? What makes it difficult? How have you seen God’s provision along the way?

2. What makes you feel loved by God? How can you remind yourself of that truth today?

Updates:

I am in the editing phase of my new book, and getting close to choosing a title and a release date! My goal is to publish this fall. If you have not already read How Can It Be? and I Know the Feeling, now is the time to catch up!

I am currently building my speaking calendar! You can find information on my topics on my website!

My books are still on the shelf at The Plot Twist in Denton, and they are going on the shelf at Dani’s Bookshelf & More in Garland, too! Praise the Lord!