A pawn in God's hands

No one wants to be the pawn. I'd rather be the queen, thank you very much! But the truth is, when God is the one playing chess, I'll be whatever He wants me to be. Have you ever read the story of Joshua and the Battle of Jericho? I have. I have read it time and again. I've even watched the Veggie Tales version, "Josh and the Big Wall" ...time and again. Imagine that! In my most recent examination of the text in the first part of the book of Joshua, I realized something. Answer this: Why did God want two spies to go into Jericho? Seriously, think about it. God, who has written all the days of our lives in His book, who has planned our going and our coming, certainly knew the method of the eventual destruction of Jericho. (Reminder: The Israelites marched around the city for seven days in silence. On the seventh day, they marched around it seven times, then shouted for the Lord, and the wall crumbled down.) Now why would the Israelites even need spies to search out the city when it's just going to crumble before them? Here's what I think: I think God chose those two spies to risk their lives in this foreign land for the specific purpose of bringing Rahab the harlot into the line of Christ. Do you realize that Rahab was "saved" through this event? She eventually married and settled in Israel, becoming King David's great-great-grandmother. Her lifestyle must have changed for anyone to even want to marry her. Her faith in the Lord was shown not only in that action of hiding the spies and deceiving the king, but also in the fruitfulness of the rest of her life. I think those spies' entire purpose was to show the power of God to change a life (but not their own lives) and the grace of God to use repentant vessels (but not themselves) for His lasting glory. What is God asking you to do that seems to serve no purpose for yourself, your family, or your own interests? Maybe His whole purpose--and your whole purpose--is for someone else. That's a difficult concept, isn't it?