Woman of God

“There are many virtuous and capable women in the world,
    but you surpass them all!”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;
    but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.
Reward her for all she has done.
    Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.

Proverbs 31:29-31 (New Living Translation)

When God made woman, He made her beautiful. What God makes beautiful, has bound to be beautiful and is appreciated by men. A woman’s beauty is a charm for her and is often a matter of her pride. A woman’s beauty is unique and acts like her identity. It has been estimated that women spend around $15000 on makeup in their lifetimes. No matter how much we spend on such petty earthly desires, it can only enhance one’s physical appearance but not one’s inner beauty, the beauty that God moulded a woman with in her spirit whilst carving her from miry clay. God has made woman beautiful both physically and spiritually.

As the word says, ‘A gracious woman attains honour. (Proverbs

11:16)’. A few questions arise hereon like who is really a ‘gracious woman’ and how can one be ‘gracious’? Our study from the Word today will lead us through the answers.

Every husband/father praises his wife/daughter for her excellence and good qualities and here in the Word they are being addressed to an ideal wife/daughter. A woman of God is ‘at par’ of them all. The Word tells us that she has ascended above all of them because she has carried out every duty, virtue, qualification and excellency to a higher perfection than any we have ever seen or heard of. They are better than the best. She has her character steadfast in goodness and obedience of the Word.

The grace of personal manner of oneself may be deceitful, it maybe put on for a specific secular or an unworthy purpose which can give a false representation of the person, being often a cover to a deformed soul. Her physical beauty cannot last for a lifetime. Beauty can be characterized by elegance of shape, symmetry of features, dignity of one’s mien and countenance features but it’s all vanity since sickness might impair them, suffering may derange them and death can even destroy them. But a woman who fears the Lord aka a woman of God, who possess true religious qualities, she has the grace of God that harmonizes the soul, purifies and refines all temper issues and passions and takes good care of the meek and a quiet mind which is an exorbitant ornament of beauty in God’s eyes. This is the unfading beauty of hers for which she shall be praised.

The psalmist continues with a prayer for her that she may enjoy

the fruit of her labour and her works maybe spoken of as a memorial of her. Her bright example be set in the most public places, in the eyes of every female, mother or wife and it is what men expect from his wife who is the mistress of his family and the mother of his children.

 The following short poem reflects how our God is wanting to hear from us, looking for us and expressing His unending love for us:

Daughter of Jerusalem

O ye hidden gem of Nature’s own,

Where hath thou been not known,

I looketh for thee in the deepest ocean,

For I longed to hear thy praise and devotion.

Sister of faith, woman of God singing Shalom,

Arise and shine, O daughter of Jerusalem!

I made thee perfect, that thoust are,
Neither a spiritual blemish nor a scar,
Moulded thee in my cage of love,
For thou art my precious dove.
Spread my love and Word and not be silent,

Arise and shine, O daughter of Jerusalem!

My love for thee extendeth unending, my dear child,

I desire the same from you but not mild.

Dost thee knoweth, thy task against unlawful prejudice,

I maketh thee a princess for reigning peace.

Go forth against worldly desires, uncovering their pride and shame

Arise and shine, o daughter of Jerusalem!

Message for the week:

It takes certain attributes, toil and sacrifices to attain qualities that God wants us to have in order to inherit His kingdom. They may seem to be different for men and women but the baseline standard is the same. We just need to put some effort into these.

Recite this short prayer with me, "Lord, I believe that You are my Heavenly Father and you want to make me like You. Being Your child, I wish to inherit Your values to be like You when I get to see You. Lead me in the right direction, imbibing every possible good quality in me. In Jesus name I ask this small prayer.”

Amen

God bless you