Wisdom is mentioned several times in the Bible - 222 times in fact. Godly wisdom is something we gain over time if we are open to it. It is something available to us if we just ask. Join us today as we listen to the first part of a teaching Beth Moore provided as part of her Wise Up, Wherever Life Happens series titled, "How Wisdom Looks on a Wife." This is a 90 minute teaching so we will be listening to the first 45 minutes today and the rest next Wednesday, Feb. 27th. There will be time to discuss as a table what you heard at the end of each day.
Much of this message is based on various parts of Proverbs, a book in the Bible chalk full of all sorts of God-given wisdom on various topics. Beth zeroes in on the ever infamous Proverbs 31:10-31 which in it's entirety can be very very overwhelming to women. However, she takes and breaks this down into five characteristics of a priceless wife to help us simplify and grasp the over arching themes of these verses.
Along the way she genuinely and vulnerably weaves in her real life struggles and victories her and her husband have been through in their marriage. I think any one of us who are married can admit to how hard marriage is at times but also how rewarding it can be. In 1 Corinthians 7:28 we are reminded that all who marry will face trials. Our hope is that this message will inspire you more towards living the life God designed for you to live as a wife clinging to His truths striving for what He knows to be best for you verses settling for good or good enough.
We will focus on the first two characteristics today . . .
#1 - She has a healthy FEAR of the Lord (Prov 31:30)
"It is the Will of God that we stay married but we don't have to be miserable. God doesn't come in to take sides. He comes in to take us both over." ~Beth Moore
This is speaking of a healthy fear of the Lord but what does this really mean as a wife? The fear of the Lord can keep us from doing things we shouldn't. We also have to trust that if we are obeying God then God is going to take care of our husbands too and have our back. Beth jokes that " . . . the art of submission is learning to duck so God can smack our husbands" if needed. If we obey when it is hard, then God is in a prime position to fight our battles for us.
Dig into the verses below for further insight and importance of having a fear of the Lord. I'd encourage you to use Biblical study tools to help bring more light to this topic. Click HERE for some guidance on how to use various Bible study tools.
- Proverbs 1:1-7
- Proverbs 2:5
- Psalms 111:10
- Ecclesiastes 12:13
#2 - She is a woman of COURAGE (Prov 31:10)
"A wife of noble character who can find?" Prov 31:10
". . . The Lord is with you mighty warrior." Judges 6:12
The word "mighty" when transcribed in Hebrew means the same thing as "noble character." These words are great words but they mean more - they mean a woman of valor. A woman who is a warrior. Any hero or celebrated warrior were at one point or another called to use great measures of courage and were also tempted by fear.
God gives victory to a woman of valor who has been courageous for her husband and her home. "When you fight the good fight and you allow God to bring you through something so hard your entire family gains and benefits from the "plunder"." ~Beth Moore
This passage in Proverbs 31:10-31 is full of warrior-like terminology and she defines it during her talk.
I hope today will be insightful for you even if some of her message is a bit challenging and hard to hear. I would encourage you to just ask God to help you know what pieces to apply to your life . . .start small, involve God, tell Him where you are confused and ask Him to bring clarity then go forward believing He can turn your good into what is best.
~Tara G.
