Ray of Hope

by Vanessa Davis Griggs

  The congregation exploded with shouts. Pastor Weldon paced a little, then stopped, and continued to speak.

  Pastor Weldon glanced at his watch. “Sit down, sit down, sit down, I have to finish this. I told you I’m not going to keep you long today. Okay, so the spies said, ‘Our life for yours, if you utter not this our business.’ That’s what those two spies promised Rahab. Can’t you just hear Jesus saying to you, ‘My life for yours.’ Glory! God’s Word is so rich! It’s like an onion. I don’t care how much you peel one layer away, there’s always more underneath. With God’s Word, you can go as deep as you’re willing to go. Okay, okay, let me finish.” He waved a few of them still standing to take their seats.

  “The scripture says, Rahab ‘let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.’ That’s in Joshua 2:15. Because I know some of you didn’t believe me when I told you that there were houses on the wall. I’m talking about the wall of Jericho. The wall that’s going to fall flat real soon. The wall that held Rahab’s house. You know, Rahab … the prostitute. She then told the spies to go to the mountain to keep those that were after them from running into them. She told them to hide there for three days until the pursuers returned. After that, the spies could go their way. You see, we know people were watching Rahab’s house. That’s how the king heard about the spies in the first place. Scholars say that Rahab’s house was probably perched on Jericho’s western wall from which escape directly to the mountain, most likely, could be accomplished without anyone seeing them. Rahab had sent the king’s men eastward toward the Jordan River. Now, the question becomes: when the children of Israel come, how will they know not to destroy Rahab’s house?” Pastor Weldon went over to his Bible.

  “Joshua 2:18 says, ‘Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee.’ The scarlet thread … the red that had come streaming down to save them would be what would be seen when it was time to save Rahab and her family. Like the blood on the post during the first Passover that caused the death angel to pass over the houses.”

  The congregation was on its feet at this point.

  “The scarlet that covers our sin; the blood of Jesus that covers our sins, causing us to be saved,” Pastor Weldon said. “People of God, because of the scarlet, because of the blood of Jesus, whatever you’ve done, God doesn’t see it anymore. All God sees is the blood of Jesus, blotting out those sins. When God looks at you, after you’ve received Jesus, all God sees is Jesus. He doesn’t see what you used to be. He sees a new creature in Christ. Whatever you’ve done in your past, after you give your life to Christ, God wipes your slate clean. Okay, some of you have messed up. Have you repented? Then after you repent, God says we’re starting over … we’re starting anew. Is there anybody here who wants to be made over, wants to become brand-new? Right here, somebody has been told that God can’t use you. To that I say: Don’t tell me what God can’t do. Don’t tell me what God can’t do! You’ve been told there’s not a ray of hope for you—”

  “Don’t tell me what God can’t do!” the congregation shouted in unison. Some were giving high fives to those near them.

  “Rahab, Rahab, Rahab.” Pastor Weldon laughed as he said her name. “Rahab wasn’t one of the children of Israel. She didn’t grow up knowing about the One true and living God. She was doing what we consider to be one of the worst things you can do when it comes to our gradation of sin. Rahab wasn’t in the bloodline of the Israelites. But guess what? When you turn to the genealogy of Jesus Christ as recorded in Matthew, chapter one, you’ll see all these great names we’re all familiar with. Names of men we can tell their stories without even having to read it to do it.

  “Abraham, Isaac, Jacob—all the ‘who begat whom’ coming from Joseph’s side. I’m talking about Joseph, the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus. And as you march through the genealogy, you run up on verse five and you find, of all things, ‘And Salmon begat Boaz of Rachab’ or as we’re used to seeing it spelled in the book of Joshua, R-a-h-a-b, Rahab. ‘And Boaz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse.’ To really get your attention, peep over at verse six for a second, and you’ll see, ‘And Jesse begat David the king.’ I don’t even have to go any further. Because most of you can take it from there.”

  Pastor Weldon took his towel and wiped the sweat off his face. “Some of you have been beat down. Some of you have made some bad decisions in the past. Some of you can’t walk in God’s best right now because you won’t let go of where you’ve come from. Rahab had all the reasons in the world to be down on herself. She didn’t even have what some of you have right now. She’d heard of God, but by acting like what she’d heard was true, Rahab walked into a whole nother realm of God. She stepped up to another level. Her past—gone. Your past—gone. God says it’s the past now. God has some new things for you. New blessings. New mercy. New grace. It’s time to let go of the old stuff that’s trying to hold you back. It’s time for you to break loose … to walk in God’s best. If you have to press to do it, then press. And when the devil tries to convince you that God can’t use you because of who you were or where you’ve been, I want you to stand up straight, pull your shoulders back, plant your feet flat and firm, and I want you say it loud, and say it proud: ‘Don’t … tell … me … what … God … can’t … do!’”

  Chapter 55

  Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

  —James 2:25

  “That was a good message today, wasn’t it?” Andre said to Sahara when he saw her standing outside the church building waiting on Ma Ray.

  Sahara smiled. “It really was. It’s funny. I’d never heard of the name Rahab, let alone the story of Rahab. That was eye-opening and a wonderful message. Pastor Weldon has certainly been a blessing in my life. That’s one thing I’m really going to miss.”

  “What?”

  “Being able to go to church here,” Sahara said.

  “Why can’t you come here?” Andre asked.

  “You know I’m back living at home with my family now. And I’m more determined to be a different person than I was in my past. I’m starting anew, and I have a new attitude. I plan to buckle down and try to redeem all the time I’ve lost in my schoolwork. I’m shooting for straight As from here on out,” Sahara said. “Don’t tell me what God can’t do!” She smiled.

  “And I believe you’re going to do it, too,” Andre said. “But still, why can’t you attend church here?”

  “This church is forty-five minutes away from where I live,” Sahara said.

  “And?”

  “And, that’s too far to go to church.”

  Andre pulled back a little. “How far is too far to get your blessing?”

  “What?”

  “How far is too far to be blessed? If you know you’re going to be fed the Word of God, and that you’re going to be fed well, isn’t it worth it to go where the best food is? I mean, why do people go to a church because it’s close, especially when they know they’re suffering from spiritual malnutrition. In my opinion, there’s no such thing as too far when you’re going for the best.”

  Sahara smiled. “You know, Andre, you really are wise beyond your years. It’s just no one I know travels this far to go to church. It’s not something a lot of people do.”

  “Well, it’s not like it used to be in the old days when people had to walk to church. I understand people attending churches in their community. But we have cars, trucks, SUVs now. We’ll drive to the mall we feel has the best selection of stuff. We’ll drive to the grocery store we feel has the best selection of food. We’ll drive to another city to catch a plane because we feel we get the best deal for our bucks. But when it comes to the things of God, we act like anything will do. We’ll
sit and eat stuff we know is not benefiting us, just because it’s convenient. Junk food.” Andre shrugged. “I’m fortunate enough that the church I’m being blessed by is close to me. But if it wasn’t, and I knew there was one where I was going to be blessed, nothing would keep me from getting to it. Nothing. This is our spirit and our souls we’re talking about. They need to eat well.”

  “You know, I really may need to talk to my mother about this. I do have a car now. I could drive here on Sundays myself,” Sahara said. “So”—Sahara looked down at her sandaled feet—“how are you doing?” She looked back up at him. “I mean, really.”

  “I’m okay,” Andre said. “I’m not going to say I wasn’t shaken up about what happened. In the moment, I didn’t think about it. But after it was over and I really thought about it, and I realized just how much the Lord had protected me in my doing something so stupid, I fell down on my face, and I just laid before the Lord and thanked Him.”

  “I know. I did the same thing. Coming here today, hearing that powerful Word from Pastor Weldon, and then him specifically calling our families up to the altar to have a special prayer over us, that was overwhelming. I just broke down in praise.”

  “Yeah, that prayer meant a lot to my grandmother. She’s still shaking like a scared puppy. I’ve tried to make her think it really was no big deal—that I wasn’t in real danger—but it’s going to take her a minute to get over what went down. If I’m honest, it’s going to take me a few minutes to get over it as well.”

  “Well, I just want to thank you for what you did for me,” Sahara said, tearing up. “That was beyond anything I ever expected from anyone ever. For someone to actually put his life on the line for me …”

  “Hey”—Andre smiled and touched her hand—“it’s okay. God had us in His hands, angels all around us. Nevertheless, whatever happened or happens—as far as I’m concerned—God is still Lord of my life. If something had gone down wrong … hey, to be absent from the body meant I would be present with the Lord. If I live it’s Christ; if I die it’s gain.”

  “Please don’t talk like that. If you’d gotten killed because of me, I would never have forgiven myself. I’m just glad God had His angels surrounding us. After this experience, I will never be the same. I’m completely sold out for Jesus now. And it’s not based out of fear; it’s based out of love.” Sahara nodded. “But I appreciate you so much. You’ve taught me a lot, you really have. Just watching you walk the life out, not running your mouth like so many folks I know do. I’m talking about truly walking the Godly life; you’ve absolutely raised the bar for me.” She blushed a little.

  “Sahara, there’s something I’m being led to do. Do you mind?” Andre said.

  “No.”

  Andre took his purity ring off his finger. “I want you to have this,” he said.

  Sahara started shaking her head. “No, I can’t take that. Thank you, but I can’t take your ring. That ring is a symbol of true purity for you.”

  He took her right hand and slipped his too-big ring onto her finger. “I want you to have this because God wants you to know that even though you think you haven’t lived up to where you should have, your past has been erased. God spoke to my heart as I sat there listening to Pastor Weldon today. God wants you to know that my ring symbolized to you someone who has not ever given his gift to anyone. God said for me to take my ring and to give it to you as a symbol of how Jesus took His life that was spotless and exchanged it for our messed-up ones.” Andre let out a sigh. “This is not coming out the way God spoke it to my heart.”

  “You’re doing just fine, Andre.”

  “Jesus lived a perfect life. Yet, He died on the cross in our place. In other words, Jesus gave His perfect life to us while He took on our sins. In doing that, God sees us as the righteous. With this ring, God wants you to know that He sees you as though you’d never done what you did. So, what you’ve done in your past, God is looking at you now as though you’re pure. He has purified you with the blood of the Lamb. God told me to tell you to stop beating yourself up about how bad you’ve messed up and for you to start living the abundant life He has set before you.” Andre took a deep breath and released it.

  Sahara began to cry. “Oh, Andre. Thank you so much for this.” She looked at the ring on her hand. “Thank you for hearing God and for being obedient. I’m going to put this ring on a chain, and every time my thoughts try to go back, I’m going to look at this ring and I’m going to think about how much God truly loves me. I’m going to step into the place God has called me, just like you do. I’m not going to try to be like you, as much as I’m going to be like you trying to be like Jesus. I want people to look at me the way they look at you, and for them to see Jesus in me, the way I, and others, see Jesus in you.”

  Andre nodded. He wiped his eyes a few times. “Umph. Something must have gotten in my eyes,” he said.

  Sahara started laughing. “Yeah. Something must have gotten in both of our eyes.” She wiped her own tears.

  Andre held out his arms and gave her a big hug. “It’s going to be all right. None of us knows for sure where God is leading us. But we just need to be sure wherever we’re headed that we’re following Him.”

  “Hey, you two,” Ma Ray said as she walked up to Sahara and Andre. She hugged them. “I was wondering where you were,” she said to Sahara.

  “Oh, just basking in the love of God. Basking in the ray of hope,” Sahara said.

  “Well, I can’t think of any better place to be than that,” Ma Ray said. “I was just in there spreading my own Ray of Hope. I was telling Pastor Weldon, well done.” She released a short laugh. “Get it? Weldon … well done. That man knows he’s a blessing!”

  “That’s cute, Ma Ray,” Sahara said. “A little corny, but cute. So you told Pastor Weldon, well… done.”

  “Yeah, well, you know me. I do have my moments,” Ma Ray said with a wink.

  Sahara nodded. “Well, all I can say behind all that I’ve been blessed to hear today is: don’t tell me what God can’t do!”

  Ma Ray raised her hand up and gave Sahara a high five. Sahara then turned to Andre and gave him one. Andre high-fived Ma Ray.

  Sahara put her arm around Ma Ray’s waist, and they literally skipped to the car while singing “Little Sally Walker,” a children’s rhyme they both were more than familiar with. Crystal joined in with them when they reached the car. Sahara couldn’t contain her laughter as Ma Ray began to literally shake it to the east, then shake it to the west; then she shook it to the one that she loved the best, pointing her finger upward, as she lifted her head to the sky.

  A READING GROUP GUIDE

  RAY OF HOPE

  Vanessa Davis Griggs

  The following questions are intended

  to enhance your group’s

  discussion of this book.

  Discussion Questions

  Was Ma Ray wrong to have pulled out a gun those times when she did it?

  Did Lenora do the right thing by sending her granddaughters to stay with her seventy-five-year-old mother? Why or why not?

  Do you feel Boaz was unfair to Lenora? Was he justified to feel as he did?

  Do you believe Sahara and Crystal were as bad as Lenora and Edmond made them out to be? Explain.

  What do you believe was going on with Crystal that was causing her to act out as she was doing? What about Sahara? Did you see a change in them? If so, at what point?

  What did you think of Andre and Aaron?

  Tootsie was a character for sure. Discuss her relationship with the other characters in the novel.

  Many times people do things they don’t really want to do. Discuss Sahara and the mistakes she made along the way. What did you think was going on with her and the guys as well as girls she allowed into her inner circle?

  Was Boaz wrong to be proud of his family, or more to the point: should he have tamped down his comments to make Lenora feel better?

  What do you believe causes one sibling to feel like anothe
r sibling is more loved by a parent? Do you believe parents really love their children equally? Please discuss.

  In your opinion, do you feel grandparents are easier on their grandchildren than they were raising their own children? Why or why not?

  Why do you think young people believe adults are the enemy when it comes to their advice? What appears to be the disconnect? Discuss.

  Ma Ray told Sahara about her past. Was Ma Ray right to do that, or should she have left that secret buried? Why are older people reluctant to disclose things that could possibly help a younger person? Should they disclose, or find another way when possible? Discuss.

  Sahara had a real health scare. Do you believe Ma Ray and Lenora handled this the correct way? Why do you believe it’s so difficult for people to see the dangers they are exposing themselves to when making certain decisions?

  Discuss the scene where Junebug confronts Sahara. Do you feel Andre did the right thing by voluntarily placing himself in harm’s way? Why or why not?

  Was Andre’s desire to keep himself until marriage a realistic one? Do you feel there is a different standard for males than females when it comes to virginity and sexual encounters? Discuss.