“A Lineage of Grace” Book Review/Insight

"A Lineage of Grace" by Francine Rivers

Tamar.
Rahab.
Ruth.
Bathsheba.
Mary.

These women all have different stories, but they have at least two things in common: They trusted God with all their heart and they are in the lineage of Jesus Christ.

I had read most of the stories of these women before in the Bible, but I never stopped to really think about their situation or the story from their point of view. Francine Rivers wrote in depth historical fiction novellas of each woman based on what God says in the Bible and the culture at that time. These women were not perfect, nor were they necessarily accepted by others. They made mistakes, yet God in His mercy used them in His perfect plan because they trusted Him.

Reading these novellas helped me to realize that God doesn’t want me as His child because I am a good person or because others accept me. No, He wants me because He loves me. And He has a marvelous plan for my life if I surrender it to Him. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary all could have walked away from God’s plan, saving themselves from disapproval from others, but they chose to trust God. They realized that in their difficult circumstances God worked in and through them as He walked with them each step along the way in those hard and confusing times.

Hebrews 11 defines faith for us, and gives us amazing examples of faith. “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.” As it continues on and goes through the examples of those who showed great faith, it doesn’t seem like they earned a good reputation from those around them at the time – they were probably considered to be crazy or a disgrace or embarrassment. But that wasn’t what was important – what was important was pleasing God, and earning a good reputation with Him. And as we look back to their examples, we see their great faith and strive to have such a faith.

There may be situations or circumstances in your lives that you don’t understand. Maybe God is prompting you to do something you are scared to do, you don’t understand, or even something that would cause your friends to leave you. I encourage you to Trust God, to seek Him and His Will, to seek to please Him, not this world. And remember, to know God’s will for our lives, we need to know Him, to be so close to Him that we feel His heart beat, that His hearts desires are ours.

I also encourage you to read these novellas by Francine Rivers, or look at the stories of these women in the Bible and study their example of faith, and to know that you are not alone. We all are in this faith journey together. God has given us examples in His Word to encourage us, and He has given us brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage each other in our faith. If you are low on Faith, get into God’s Word, ask Him to increase your faith, and find a Christian friend to encourage you. If you are overflowing with Faith, I encourage you to share that faith with others – Christians and non-Christians. And let our Marvelous God work in and through you life that He may be glorified.