His Grace, Our Faith

I am always drawn to grass-to-grace stories. I am always inspired by “out of the miry clay, set on the solid rock” narratives because they remind me that God can use anyone for His glory and that no life is ever beyond repair. I am particularly in awe of the stories of women whose lives Jesus turned around for good. Women whose messes produced messages of second chances and redemption. Women with complicated pasts and seemingly bleak futures who eventually became precious threshing instruments in the hand of God. Women like Tamar, whose scandalous life story would make Hollywood film producers tickle pink. Women like Rahab, for whom there is no light at the end of the tunnel, because selling your body for money is the most undignified thing you could ever do. Women like Ruth, who are condemned to a lifetime of poverty because of the limitations of their gender and gendered choices. I have learnt from these women that even those who seem far away from God often have a longing for the divine. Maybe like these women, you have no religious background, no church-going experience, yet you feel a deep pull in your heart. Maybe something whispers to you, “There’s more….there’s more to what you are chasing, more to what you’ve always known”. Maybe somewhere in the deep recesses of your mind, you feel a hunger for something so real and true. Do not stress. The Bible is full of people who initially were not familiar with the ways of the God of Israel but ended up becoming pivotal in the plans of God. These women (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth), with all their flaws and inadequacies, displayed courage and faith that moved the hand of God. These ordinary women did extraordinary things, even though they were far from perfect. Despite their dodgy pasts and, to put it quite frankly, unregenerated backgrounds, these foreign women displayed unfeigned faith at a time when the children of Israel themselves were still learning what it meant that the just shall live by faith. These women learnt about the God of Israel and put all their trust in Him, so much so that God turned their story to glory and made them matriarchs in the lineage of Christ. So, what can we learn from these women?

1. God’s Grace Has No Boundaries

You may feel like you are way too far in the deep –– too broken, too dirty, too complicated for God to care about you. But Tamar shows us otherwise. Her story is messy, even scandalous. She was mistreated, misunderstood, and driven to desperate action—but even through that, God brought her into the family line of the Messiah. Tamar teaches us that no mistake is too dark, no past too painful, and no person is too far from the reach of grace. You may feel forgotten or rejected, but God still sees you, and His grace still calls you in.

2. You Don’t Have to Know Everything

Rahab was a prostitute in a city destined for destruction. She had no Bible, no teacher, no access to worship in the temple. All she had were the stories she heard, stories about the God of Israel and His power.

And she believed.

And that was enough.

She said, “I know the Lord has given you this land… the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.” (Joshua 2:9, 11)

She didn’t know the Law. She didn’t grow up with the Truth. But she acted in faith—and that faith saved her. You may not know everything about God. But if you’re willing to believe the little you’ve heard about, that can be the beginning of a journey to a new and better  life.

3. Faith Requires a Decision

Faith is not passive. It’s not something you feel, rather, it’s something you make a decision about. Ruth made that decision. She refused to go back to what was comfortable. She turned away from her old gods and old life and said to Naomi, “Where you go, I will go. Your God will be my God.” (Ruth 1: 16).  That’s what real faith looks like: bold and determined.

 Faith doesn’t wait for things to be perfect; things become perfect through your faith. Remember: Jesus said, “let it be done to you according to your faith”. (Matthew 9:29)

And to Those Who Already Know God…

We need to be honest with ourselves. Some of us have known God for years. We’ve been around the church a lot. We know the Bible stories. We know the Christian songs. But we’ve become too comfortable and complacent. We assume we’re okay because we’re “in.” While we continue to entertain distractions, half-commitment, or spiritual lethargy, God is going to the unreached and taking the wheel of the revival to the unchurched. The words of Jesus are starting to come to pass: the last shall be first and the first last (Matthew 20:16). Jesus also observed, during his time on earth, that the tax collectors and prostitutes were entering the kingdom ahead of the religious people—not because they were perfect, but because they responded with real faith (Matthew 21:31).

It’s time to wake up. Time to get serious. Time to live like our lives depends on Christ, because it does! Don’t let familiarity rob you of faith. Don’t let religion replace relationship. If grace still amazes you, then let your life show it.

Finally, these three women didn’t have much going for them, at least not by our human standards. They were outsiders, the forgotten and the looked-down-upon. But they had one thing: faith. And God, in His incredible grace, chose them, not just to bless them, but to include in the bloodline of the Messiah.

So, let’s go over this again. What does that mean for all of us?

It means no one is too far from falling as no one is too dirty to be saved.

It means a little faith goes a long way.

It means your past doesn’t disqualify you—but your response can define you.

God’s grace is already reaching out. The question is, will your faith rise to meet it?

Whether you’ve known Him for years, or you’re just starting to wonder if He’s real: now is the time.

Come back.

Come closer.

Choose faith.

Because grace is waiting.

Vera Makamu