Sometimes as women in the body of Christ we think we can’t have all that God has to offer us. You are not just a church member, wife, banker, mother, prayer warrior. We were created with the ability to be multifaceted and multi-talented. While studying Proverbs 31 oftentimes we only think of married women or mothers. This scripture is a portrait of how a woman of God can look at any stage of her life. Can a Proverbs 31 exist? Absolutely! But the Proverbs 31 woman can be single, single with children, a homemaker, a teacher, or a Nun. The most important characteristic of this woman is that she went after God with all her heart. In verse 30 we understand her success is founded upon her “fear of the Lord”. Fearing the Lord simply means she put Him first in every area of her life. She made Him Lord which is sometimes the biggest challenge for women. We say we have received Jesus as our Savior but when it comes to day to day decisions and activities we choose to seek our own counsel or the counsel of our peers instead of rising early to seek the counsel of our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ.
We can live successfully in every area of our lives. The portrait of the successful woman of God is very clear and concise. We can be celebrated by our mate because we walk by his side in making careful, wise decisions concerning our financial and business affairs. If you have children, they don’t have to rebel and disrespect you in their teenage years. Seek the face of the Lord and your “children will rise and call you blessed”. In a society where we are sometimes competing for our children’s attention, we do not have to lose heart if we fear the Lord. Fearing the Lord will sometimes require us to challenge our children’s superficial desires. Society will deceive our children and they will create an image of what their parents should look like and what their parents should provide. I think sometimes we fear our children and do not want to hurt their feelings so we give in to what they think they need and fall short of God’s approval in our lives. Stand firm on who you are as a woman of God and only fear Him. If your children whine a little now then so be it but in the long run they will call you blessed if you remain faithful to His promise.
We can be confident in our work ethics. We are not the ones who are late to work, take long lunches, surf the internet on the employer’s time, cause discord amongst co-workers. We should not be named amongst these character traits. Vs 17 “She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.” This woman of God is going to work with a purpose. Her work is part of her worship. What kind of performance review would each one of us have if we literally went to work thinking that it is part of our worship. And what kind of witness opportunities could arise because we have chosen to make our job performance a part of our fear of the Lord. Wow!
As a wife our husband should have great respect for us as well as love us. We know in Ephesians 5:25, Paul commands the husband to love his wife as Christ loves the church. We celebrate the depth of this love. Christ loved the church so much that He gave His life for the church and is always standing in the gap to cover us even when we are guilty. This love is immeasurable and unfathomable. This is the love of Jesus Christ!! Proverbs 31 looks at this love in a different aspect. Verse 11 “Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.” This means he trusts her with all the affairs concerning their life. He knows that she will not waste their fruit and she will not have to go begging for anything. If he is the one who brings in the income she is the one who assures it is not wasted. She is the business manager for the home. Even if they both work this portrait states that she is the business manager and does not operate selfishly. What a powerful position this woman holds within her home. During this time of recession, we as woman of God should really take the time to seek the Lord for counsel concerning our financial decisions for our homes. If we are single, we still have a responsibility to use wisdom and not to squander our resources. If you are blessed then you are perhaps in that position to be a blessing to someone who is now out of a job or to a family that is broken up because of this economic crisis in America. Vs 20 “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. ” So if we find ourselves in a blessed position, be sure as a virtuous woman you seek God to be a blessing as well.
And wives, take care of yourselves from the inside out. Vs 22:b “she is clothed in fine linen and purple.” As a married woman you still have the responsibility of looking good. Our husbands do not want to lose the attraction or the fire for their wives but many times we get lazy in the marriage and begin to lose our “sassy”. This woman in Proverbs 31 dressed in her best and she had to look this way for many reasons. I believe most importantly it was because she never lost herself in the marriage. Vs 25:a “She is clothed with strength and dignity;”. She knew exactly who she was and as a result walked with great confidence and was beautiful from the inside out. Just because I am a prayer warrior/intercessor does not mean I have to look like a monk. While my husband is confident that I will go to war with any demon on his behalf and the behalf of my children, when I step out the door he is confident that people want to know who is this woman on his arm.
Woman, we can have it all but the most important step in getting it and keeping it is operating in the “fear of the Lord”!! Rise early and seek His face then get up to operate under the anointing that He has placed for your life. You can’t do what I do and I can’t do what you do but we all have an assignment to find our face of the virtuous woman.
~She speaks; She writes ~ 