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“Raise a banner on a bare hilltop, shout to them; beckon to them to enter the gates of the nobles.” Isaiah 13:2 (NIV)
If you want to get someone’s attention across a crowded room or in a public place, what do you do? Do you stand calmly and wait for them to see you through the mass of bodies and noise? Do you turn your back or find a chair to sit in? No, you don’t! You stand on tiptoes (especially me at five-foot-two), wave your arms around, and raise your voice. You make your presence known to get their attention. If you have something in your hand, you might even wave it about, like a flag, like a banner.
In our world today, we must stand atop the bare hilltops of our communities and wave the banner of the Root of Jesse. We must hold high the banner of victory that is ours in Christ Jesus. Especially now, we cannot take a seat and wait idly for someone to notice our faith. We must flag people down unashamedly with the Good News of Jesus and beckon them to the only solid thing in the universe: the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
When crisis and uncertainty land in a person’s life, many concerns and distractions fall away leaving bare her deepest heart hungers. Right now, in our world, women are starting to connect with those heart hungers. They don’t even know what they are craving, but an empty growling has started within them. They are looking for answers. WE have the answer, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Take courage in your certainty about who Jesus is and the eternal life He offers each and every person on this planet! Have courage in the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before and stand with you now! Find your courage in God’s Word that tells you, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10b NIV)
Courage is not holding your banner of truth without shaking hands. Courage is raising your banner of truth with heart pounding and upper lip sweating, knowing under Whose banner you stand!
Discussion questions:
- Whose life story in the Bible gives you the most courage?
- In what ways can you wave God’s banner of truth for all to see?
- What things steal your courage to wave your faith?
- Who is someone in your life that gives you courage?
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