I recently listened to a podcast about the different types of fear involved when talking about God.
The first fear is fear because you don’t believe, trust, or know Him. The second fear is like the fear of snow.
I don’t fear the snow. In fact, I love the snow. It makes me feel like a kid again. But, while I sit there sinking my hands into the powdery mix, feeling the bite of the cold as a smile spreads across my face, I also know that this snow has the power to kill me if not treated with respect.
So the question then becomes, which form of fear do you view God with?
Rahab had both.
Now, one big thing I want to mention is that although I will discuss one form of fear inside Rahab today, that is not the end of her story. But in our story today, we see a Rahab afraid as a foreigner to God.
“Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.”
Joshua 2: 8-9
“When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.”
Joshua 2:11
Notice that she says “has fallen on us” and “our hearts melted.” She was not exempt from the fear that was in the air, nor was she viewing it as a believer.
This is a flip from the norm of the women we have been studying. We have seen obedience, bravery, strength, and fear in the world, but not this type of fear in God.
Regardless of her fear, Rahab continues to push forward and follow through with her word. She protects the spies and then marks her window so her and her family will be protected. The beauty is that God used this fear of Him, to bring her to the right kind of fear of Him.
Spoiler, Rahab doesn’t end her story as a foreigner and in fear. She ends fearing God in reverence and in joy and is blessed by her sacrifices by being in Jesus’s lineage.
My encouragement for each of you ladies today is that just because you feel like an outsider now, just because you feel you are going through the motions of what is needed, doesn’t mean God doesn’t see you and doesn’t mean he hasn’t called you into His family.
We are all sacred to Him. So fear Him yes, but fear Him like I fear the snow. With the heart of a child, full of joy and reverence for the beauty to be seen.
Heather is a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a believer, a wife, and a mother to a wonderful (and sometimes crazy) one-year-old. She enjoys reading, playing video games, and listening to podcasts. She can usually be taking care of the home and playing on the floor with her daughter.
Photo by Tamara Bellis on Unsplash