From Rags to Rescue

Monday, September 29

Jeremiah 38:9-13 (NKJV)

“My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet whom they have cast into the cisterns, and he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city. Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” So Ebed-Melek took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn out clothes from there and let them down with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.”

Devotion

Our testimony includes the filthy rags of our past, covered in the stains of our sin and failures, the rips and holes of our poor decisions, and the places where pain has worn us thin. They are the empty-pocket garments of self-righteousness that got us nowhere. Yet, our testimony can still reach others. It is those very things we have walked through that others can relate to—the very things they may be facing today. Their dungeon may look exactly like the one the Savior has pulled you from.

Isn’t it just like our God to use those polluted garments of our past to make them into something useful—to turn them to something good! To help others know that God loves them just as they are and that they have hope in Jesus! It is time to tell our story—how God has rescued us out of a dungeon, out of the miry clay; how He has replaced our filthy rags with the righteousness of Jesus. Our testimony is not the rope that rescues, but it may be instrumental, used by God to touch others and gently draw them to the Father. The king used the rags to pad the rope that pulled Jeremiah up and out of the desperate place he was in. Pray that your testimony will be used to touch others today.

Today's Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

Help me to see as You see. Please show me how the hard places and tough times in my life can be used to help someone today. Help me form the narrative in my heart, along with Your Word, to share and set someone free. Prepare me for the open doors You will send my way to share the good news of Jesus Christ. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Apply It Today

Reflect on God's Redemption: Read Jeremiah 38:9-13. Journal about a time you felt stuck in a “dungeon” and how God used someone or something to lift you out.

Resources

• If you missed yesterday’s message, “Don’t Let Your Pain Be in Vain,” watch it on YouTube or listen on podcast.

• Download the wallpaper, “Don’t Let Your Pain Be in Vain.”