Madison Prewett shares how God used her on ‘The Bachelor;’ calls forth modern-day 'Esthers'
Madison Prewett captivated the hearts of millions with her strong faith and convictions as a contestant on Season 24 of ABC’s “The Bachelor.” She recently penned a book, Made For This Moment: Standing Firm with Strength, Grace, and Courage,where she details how God used her time on the reality dating show to draw people to Christ.
Since her time on “The Bachelor,” the 25 year old has gained a massive following online, with 2 million TikTok followers and 1.7 million Instagram followers.
She has used her platform to share her Christian faith and inspire others to stick to their convictions and answer God's calling on their life. Now, by sharing her personal journey, the young influencer continues her mission with her debut book.
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Made For This Moment, which hits stores on Oct. 19, documents how a young Christian woman studying to be a pastor found herself on the secular program.
"Not only did I feel like I learned so much and I grew so much, but really just for everyone that God spoke to and encouraged through that, it was one of the coolest things to be able to say, 'God can use someone like me, God can use something like ‘The Bachelor’ to bring glory to His name because that's just how big He is,” Prewett shared with The Christian Post.
Prewett said she never imagined going on a secular reality show to find love. But doing so, she said, "showed me that we can't put God in a box."
"I think my whole life I just imagined, 'God shows up on mission trips, God shows up in churches, God shows up in the confinements of a home.' But I never would have imagined that God would use somebody like me and something like ‘The Bachelor,’ something so secular, to make His name known," she said.
While on the show, Prewett revealed she is saving herself for marriage. Though she and bachelor Peter Webber were different, the couple hoped that “love could conquer all.” Prewett was eventually chased off by Webber's family, who were adamant their lifestyles would never work together.
The couple reportedly tried to rekindle their love once the show was over, and Webber even attended church with Prewett. Ultimately, though, it didn't work out.
But over a year after her relationship ended, Prewett believes her true purpose on the show was to encourage other women, including the other contestants, the producers and viewers.
“That's all glory to God,” she testified. “It got me so passionate. That just shows me that God can use every single person out there no matter what they've been through, no matter what their situation looks like, and it's not confined to a perfect little box. He can use anything, anyone, anytime, because that's just how good He is.”
"I learned so much through it. I feel like a lot of the girls on the show were so encouraged and a lot of them, honestly, have come to know Jesus through it,” she continued, speaking of the fruit that came from her being on the series.
"So many girls have given their heart to Jesus and girls who have decided to wait until marriage, just hearing me talk about my decision. It has just been so cool,” Prewett added. “We're all called to step out in faith and sometimes it doesn't look like what we thought.”
Made For This Moment features a foreword written by Sadie Robertson Huff. The book breaks down why Prewett decided to go on “The Bachelor” after being invited to participate in the dating competition. The decision to appear on the reality show, she said, was out of obedience to God.
"One of the biggest hearts behind my book is, I think so many people see character as one of those things that, it's who you are when no one is watching. But I believe that it's also who you are when everyone is watching and you're able to prepare, you're able to stand firm, you're able to stay true to yourself, you're able to stay true to your convictions, under pressure, under temptation. When you prepare in the private time, when you've prepared off-camera, when you've prepared when nobody was around,” Prewett explained.
"When I came off the show, the question that everyone was asking me was, ‘Maddie, how are you able to stay true to your convictions? How are you able to stand firm with the whole world watching, with so much temptation, with so many opinions?’ And I was like, 'Well, because I was able to do it when nobody was around because I had been practicing that leading up to those moments.'
"So I didn't have to hope that I had what it took to stand firm. I had been putting the right tools in the toolbox so that when that moment came, it just came out of me.”
Prewett, who has a Bachelor of Science in communications from Auburn University and earned her certificate in pastoral leadership through Highlands College in 2018, said people see who they truly are when they are faced with pressure.
"It's so important to invest well. That's why it's so important to know who you are when nobody's around. Take those moments alone with God and figure out — ‘Who am I? What do I believe? What kind of life do I want to live? When I'm alone with a guy in a room, what decisions do I want to make?
"When my friends start throwing these things at me and tell me this is what you need to do, this is who you need to be, this is where you need to go, what do I want to do in those moments?’
Ask yourself those tough questions so that you're not just going off of feeling and impulse and off of what everybody else is doing, which is what I think most of us do. But then we find ourselves later on down the road like, ‘Dang it, how did I get here?’”
She added: "Resentment follows, shame follows guilt follows. If we can take time to prepare before those moments come, if we can take time to ask ourselves those tough questions and pre-decide before those moments of pressure arise, we're going to find ourselves living a life that we're proud of, living a life where we're worthy of the calling that God has given us, living a life where we're walking in step with the spirit, rather than just following our fleshly desires and feelings.”
Before Prewett’s season on “The Bachelor,” the network highlighted another professing Christian, Luke Parker, on “The Bachelorette.” Parker's commitment to abstinence was highly criticized on the show, with bachelorette Hannah Brown declaring she could have sex with anyone and "Jesus still” loves her.
"Previously, Christianity had been something that was mocked,” Prewett said, explaining why she was initially hesitant to join the show.
“It had been something that was looked down upon and almost made the person who stood up in their convictions, made them look foolish. I was like, 'Lord, I don't want to.’ I was like, ‘Lord, no, pick someone else, it's not me. I don't think I'm your girl.' And time and time again, the Lord was chasing me down, like 'this is where I need you.' So I was like, 'OK, Lord, I'm going to trust you, and I'm going to follow whatever it looks like.'”
“What I've seen in my life is just the blessing that comes with obedience,” she continued. “You don't always understand it. There's not always this perfect formula. But when you just say, ‘OK, God, I trust you, I'm going to be obedient, no matter the cost.’ It's crazy to see how God can move in you and how God can move through you.”
Made For This Momentanswers challenging questions while offering advice on how to stick to one's convictions amid difficult circumstances. The former foster care recruiter structured her book with the biblical story of Esther in mind.
"That is such a powerful testimony. It's the only book in the Bible where God's name is never mentioned. It's such light and darkness. It's really this beautiful story of standing firm in your courage and convictions not knowing what will follow. It could cost you everything. But you could gain so many along the way and you could save people,” Prewett explained.
She continued: "I want people to understand that just like Esther — she had to break free from her past, she had to overcome labels, she had to stand in courage even when she was probably so afraid. She had to go against the grain even though it may have cost her everything. I want to see modern Esthers in today's world rise up and say, 'This is who I am, not who you tell me who I am. This is who I am because this is who God says I am. And I'm going to walk in confidence. I'm going to walk in conviction; I'm going to walk in courage.”
"I just saw this vision of Esthers being awoken. It's time for people to rise up to be unashamed of the Gospel, to be honest of their convictions and beliefs, and to walk out the person that God has called them to be and to make a difference. That is like my heart and just my prayer for this book,” Prewett concluded.
Made For This Momentis now available for pre-order.
Jeannie Ortega Law is a reporter for The Christian Post. Reach her at: [email protected] She's also the author of the book, What Is Happening to Me? How to Defeat Your Unseen Enemy Follow her on Twitter: @jlawcp Facebook: JeannieOMusic
