Taking It To The Streets

“If anyone goes outside your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head…” Joshua 2:19a.

The Battle at Jericho is one of the most well-known defeats documented in the Bible. The richness of the story leading up to the battle may not be as known. Prior to the battle, spies were sent into the city to see first hand the obstacles that lay before them. They snuck into the home of Rahab, a prostitute, enlisting her help to determine their best chance for victory. They struck a deal that since she assisted them in preparation for the battle she and her family would be protected when the battle began, provided she hung a scarlet cord in her window. This protection would only be extended for the members of her family who stayed in the room where the scarlet cord was visible.

During the time of my daughter’s rebellion, I went “out into the streets” and spent many years searching for my own peace and disregarded the eternal promises that God had given me through His word. The adversity I suffered with my daughter was a walk I chose to do on my own. As a result, I ended up secretly mounting excessive debt and living life apart from God. My financial decisions and their implications were determined by my lack of a spiritual walk with Christ during the adversity of my daughter. I created my own adversity out of my daughter’s. When God convicted me to “come out of the streets” and reveal to my husband the truth of our financial life, God promised me He would get me through the pain. It was the first time in my life I completely surrendered a situation to God. I knew I didn’t have control over my daughter’s situation but I did have control over my own transgression. Once I surrendered the truth of our financial situation to my husband, God began working in my husband’s heart to forgive me. It was a journey we both were traveling together but yet apart. The one thing we had in common was God’s promise that He would give us daily provision to conquer all of the hurts and return to the room where the scarlet cord hung.

Over the next couple of years, becoming one in Christ was the commitment of our marriage. Some days we drew nearer to Christ than other days but most days we hung onto the scarlet cord for dear life. Regardless of our inconsistencies and failures, through God’s grace, love and mercy, my husband and I now enjoy a Christ-centered marriage.

Once we have found Christ and have a safe place of refuge in Him we must always draw near to the scarlet cord and not stray away. The spies told Rahab to warn her family of the importance of staying within the protective walls of Rahab’s home. That home was marked with the cord of the covenant and all who drew near and believed would be protected and spared from the battle. We too are to stay centered around our Protector, Christ Jesus who boldly displays His promise and sovereignty so we may be delivered from our battles. It is when we “go out into the streets” that we place ourselves in a position of unprotected circumstances. Through stepping out of God’s will we temporarily remove ourselves from the perfect plan of God for our lives. It becomes a detour that we take that leads to sin and suffering. The two are synonymous and will always bring about circumstances in which we will suffer. When we sow the seed of sin we will reap suffering. When we “go out into the streets” and take matters into our own hands our blood will be on our own head.

Christ is continuously bringing us to His attitudes and His work. Draw near to the Cord!