Erika Michael from Team 4 reflects on how powerful women in the Bible have challenged her faith and the brave risks they took.
Tonight I get to preach at the weekly women’s meeting at Centro Cristo, the church we are working with here in Cuba. I want to give you a preview of what I am speaking about, and what I have learned as I prepared for it.
It was on my heart to share about women of faith in the Bible. The women that allowed themselves to be used by the Lord for His purpose.
The first story takes place in Jesus’ hometown. By now Jesus was well known and there was a crowd of people surrounding Him. In order for the women this story is about to get to Jesus she would have to get through the crowd. This women is the one who had been bleeding for 12 years. According to Jewish law this would have made every person she touched unclean. Imagine the ridicule if she got caught!
Why was she willing to take that risk?
Jesus was her only hope. She had been bleeding for 12 years and nothing could be done to help her. She had heard of this man Jesus and the miracles that He had been doing. She knew He was her only hope. It was for that hope that she pushed through the crowd of people hoping to just touch His cloak. It was faith that brought her knowing if she touched the cloak she would be healed.
There were several other women that I talked about. Two are mentioned in the “faith” chapter of Hebrews.
By faith even Sarah herself received the ability to conceive, even beyond proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. – Hebrews 11:11
By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace. -Hebrews 11:31
I looked to a few more women from scripture that we all know and wrote my own version of a “by faith” statement like in Hebrews. The following are my own words.
By faith Esther chose to go before the King to save her people, God’s people.
By faith Ruth chose to follow her mother-in-law, her God, honored her and laid at the feet of Boaz to play a part in being a family redeemer.
As I looked through scripture there were many more women I could mention. There was one theme that stood out to me as I was reading all about these women.
Each one of these women had to take a risk.
The bleeding women risked making people unclean, being found out and even more of an outcast. There would have been reason for Sarah to doubt she would get pregnant and worry about what it could mean to be pregnant at her age. Rahab took the risk to hide the spies in her house before the result of being saved when the wall came down. Esther risked her life to go before the king. Ruth left her family, and everything she knew behind. The she chose to lay at the feet of Boaz.
It is because they took a risk, they stepped out in faith to say yes to what the Lord had for them. As a result of that risk there were results. The bleeding woman was healed. Sarah had Issac. Rahab and her family were saved. Esther saved a nation. Ruth played a role in being a family redeemer to Naomi.
Taking risk, being a woman of faith, produces results.
I want to be a woman of faith.