Tamar | God with her in life’s messiness.
We like to think life with God is neat and quiet. But Tamar shows us otherwise. She refuses to stay in her place or accept her lot—and in the drama, the scandal, and the silence, God is with her, bringing about a story more redemptive than she could have imagined.
Journaling Prompts
What did it feel like to see a woman like Tamar featured in God’s story of cosmic redemption? What assumptions or biases did this challenge in you?
How does the injustice in Tamar’s story—and God’s blessing of her—speak to the responsibility of the community? What might this reveal about God’s heart for the poor, oppressed, and marginalized? Who might be a modern-day equivalent, and how are you being called to care for or include them?
Is there a part of your story that feels “too messy” for God to work with? How does Tamar’s story invite you to believe God might be at work—even there? What doubts or fears come up when you consider that possibility?
Who have you believed God couldn’t be working in or through? What would it mean to expand your sense of God’s mercy and presence to include them? What hesitations or boundaries do you feel around that?
Practice
Respond.
Take a few moments to name the places in your life that feel especially “messy”—complicated, painful, or unresolved. Ask yourself: Do I believe God could meet me here? What emotions or resistance rise up?
Then, spend a few minutes in silence, resting in the presence of the God who sees you, stays with you, and does not turn away from the mess.
Generosity
