The Miracle of a Woman

Women simply amaze me. The strength, the flexibility, the selfless service, the wisdom, the fierce loyalty to family and friends… there are so many qualities in women I respect that I desire to emulate. I sat in a Bible study last night along with a group of women, most of whom were older than I chronologically, and also, I would say, more mature than I spiritually, as well. I sneaked a peak at the opened Bible sitting in the lap of the woman sitting next to me, and it had notes and highlights all over the page, including dates, showing years of study and application of these treasured words to this precious woman’s life. As we discussed 1 John 5, the Lord loosed my tongue to share one word with these women who awed me, but the rest of the time, I sat leaning forward, dumb and doe-eyed, trying to glean all I could from the spiritual insight each one put forth.

I have known some pretty amazing women throughout my lifetime. My mother, whose heart so quickly and easily turns to sincere, humble prayer… my grandmother (her mother), who died when I was not quite 8 of cancer, whose gentle, loving manner drew many to desire the kind of relationship she had with the Lord (even as she wasted away physically on her death bed)…a young lady who (unknowingly) mentored me when I was a freshman and she was a senior, taught me to open my eyes to the lost world and break out of what was easy and familiar…missionary women whose grit and determination to raise their families in foreign lands and be “Jesus in skin” among people they were heartbroken for… single missionary women who thought years ago that they’d be married, but decided to follow God in obedience, trusting that His love was enough, and being used to bring the gospel to peoples that had not once encountered its riches…countless West African sisters in Christ whose faith astounds me, as they provide for the needs of their family and give so generously of themselves so that He is made known. I could go on forever, really.

What are the qualities of a godly woman? I’ve seen so many studies on Proverbs 31 and women of the Bible, but I think it is the examples of real women, redeemed and daily sanctified by the Lord that are truly making an impact on my life. I know it is the Holy Spirit working in them and Christ shining through them that I respect, but the precious way the Lord weaves His character into the lives of women is nothing less than glorious and beautiful.

These are the qualities I most desire as a woman of God that I have seen in others: humility, boundless joy, loving honesty, courage, gentleness, a tender heart, godly strength, an insatiable hunger for God’s Word and to know Him, sensitivity to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of others and determination to obey God and allow Him to work through me to meet them, one that prays without ceasing, generosity, holiness, flexibility and willingness to be and do as the Lord wills, for His glory!

Women, what do you desire to be, so that God is glorified through you? When we allow God to work in us to “…will and to work for His good pleasure” (Php. 2:13 NASB) the church is strengthened, the lost are found, and hearts are transformed.

Last night, after the Bible study ended, that same dear woman with the worn Bible walked and talked with me, going straight to my heart (like Jesus does) and had me sharing how she could pray with me. Then, she immediately took my hand, bowed her head, and prayed, crying tears of sensitivity to the things that I didn’t fully share, and with deep love and a heart for God’s will working in my life and situation, that when our eyes opened, I knew that God heard her prayer and was working, beyond the shadow of a doubt. I want my attitude and my prayers to be like that. Oh God, make me a woman after your own heart. Help me to influence other women as so many have influenced me, so that your glory is revealed in this generation.