Read:
Tamar’s story is gritty. She was widowed twice and then promised to Judah’s youngest son. Judah broke that promise and sent Tamar back to her father’s house. She had no husband, no husband, and no future.
Nobody stepped in for Tamar, and nobody made it right. So Tamar took matters into her own hands, in a way that’s uncomfortable to read. When the truth came out, Judah finally said what he should have said long before: she is more righteous than I.
Matthew didn’t leave her out. In a list made up almost entirely of men, Tamar’s name is right there (Matthew 1:3). God wrote the woman everyone had overlooked into the line of the Messiah, and he did it on purpose.
If something was done to you and no one ever acknowledged it, you don’t have to pretend it didn’t happen. God sees it. He always has.
Pray: God, you know what was done to me. Thank you for seeing me when others looked away. I’m bringing this to you because I trust you with it. Amen.