Steps of Faith: From Rejection to Redemption

Author: Ayodeji Oludapo

Date: October 30, 2024

Scripture: "Now there were four men with leprosy[a] at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die." - 2 Kings 7:3-4 (NIV)

Devotional Thought

The story of the four lepers at the gate of Samaria is a story of outcasts becoming agents of salvation. These men were rejected by society and considered unworthy and unclean due to their condition. They lived in isolation, away from their families, their community, and hope for a better future. Their situation seemed to have no value, no redemption, and no purpose. Yet, in the darkest moments of Samaria, God used these rejected men to bring about deliverance and hope for an entire city.

The lepers, faced with death by famine, decided to take a risk and approach the Aramean camp, hoping against hope that they might find mercy. As they stepped out in faith, God amplified their steps, creating confusion in the enemy’s camp and causing them to flee, leaving behind all their provisions. What seemed like a desperate last move by these outcasts became the catalyst for God's miraculous intervention. The same lepers who were once rejected, overlooked, and outcasts suddenly found themselves as the bearers of good news, the instruments of salvation for a starving city.

This story has powerful parallels to our own lives. There are times when we may feel like those lepers—unworthy, rejected, or left out. Society may label people based on their past mistakes, much like the lepers were defined by their disease. But God sees beyond our past and our failures. He specializes in using those who seem insignificant, those who have been cast aside, to fulfill His purpose. In God’s economy, no one is beyond redemption.

I have seen this truth at work in my ministry to prisoners. I have watched men and women, once deemed unworthy by society and defined by their worst moments, transformed by the grace of God. I have witnessed inmates becoming chaplains, becoming spiritual leaders in their communities, and finding purpose where there once seemed to be only shame. Like the lepers, they stepped out in faith, trusting that God could take them from rejection to redemption. Their stories, like the story of the four lepers, remind us that our value is not determined by the opinions of others but by the One who redeems and restores.

Practical Reflection

Are there areas in your life where you feel rejected, overlooked, or without hope? Remember, God is not limited by your circumstances or your past. Just as He used the lepers to deliver a city, He can use you to bring hope and redemption. Take a step of faith today—no matter how small it seems. Trust that God can take your seemingly insignificant actions and multiply them for His purpose.

Closing Thought

God's grace is capable of taking us from the depths of rejection to the heights of redemption. If He can use four lepers to save a city, imagine what He can do with your life. Step out in faith, and let God show you how He can turn your story of rejection into a testimony of redemption.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for seeing beyond my rejection and using my life for Your purpose. Help me to step out in faith, trusting that You can bring redemption even out of my brokenness. Use me, Lord, as an instrument of hope to those around me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.