Joshua 2:21
And she said, According unto your words, so be it.  And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

Rahab hung that cord in expectation as soon as the spies were departed.  She would be ready when they came again.  The fame of the God of Israel had penetrated Jericho, as had the fear of Him, and somehow that same God had penetrated the heart of this woman.  The people of the city knew that the army of Israel was heading their way.  They knew they would not prevail against them.  They knew certain destruction was coming.  So what relief she must have felt to have this token, to know her life and her family would be spared when that day came.

Perhaps Rahab looked forward with nervous anticipation of that day that would be both terrible and somehow wonderful at the same time.  She was hanging everything on this scarlet cord, a flimsy string, perhaps wondering if it would be enough to save her.  But she would find that she could trust this God who brought such fear and awe to her heart.  She would come to find that belief in Him was enough.  She would find that that scarlet line would become her lifeline.

Have we discovered that same thing for ourselves?  Have we come to understand that belief in God is enough?  Do we realize that He alone is who we must trust in if we hope to be delivered from sure destruction?  Faith can seem like such a fragile thing sometimes, as flimsy as a cord in a window.  And so it doesn’t matter who we are or what we’ve done or what we have.  What matters is the one we’re trusting in.  What do we know Him to be?  And does that enable us to trust Him?

Rahab had heard only stories of a God on the move, marching her way, destroying those in His path.  But that was enough for her.  We have many more stories in the form of God’s Word that reveal to us who God is, what He’s doing and how.  Will that cause us to look to Him with the same hopeful expectation that Rahab had?  Will we trust Him and trust Him completely?  Will we believe on Him for salvation and then await that glorious day where we can go to be with Him forever?