Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind –2 Timothy 1:4-7.
“Oh God, give us mothers like Eunice and grandmothers like Lois. Give us women who are women of faith. Give us women who know how to stand for truth against the tide of human rationalization that is destroying the lives of so many well-meaning people. Give us women who are unwavering in their loyalty to Jesus Christ, to their husbands, and to their calling to represent the spirit of Jesus in all of life. Amen”.
History has proven that women are as influential as men in forming the fabric of society and of the Christian community. An argument could be made that they exert an even greater influence if you consider the fact that they have a huge role in shaping the values of little children and, whether or not they dress and conduct themselves according to godly modesty, they can influence the morality of the masses of men around them.
Hence the call for women to be women of faith. Not only does a woman’s faith influence those around her, but every woman has her own personal journey. Her journey is a search for identity, security, and purpose for her life.
Today’s women are inundated with voices that claim to offer the fulfillment that their heart desires. As with their mother Eve, many of these voices appeal to her feminine spirit, but as their mother Eve discovered, unless it is the voice of God, it leads to death and destruction.
The Bible abounds with accounts of women who lived by faith. Consider the harlot Rahab. Bible scholars cannot agree that she was worthy of that title, but it has come down to us as such. She heard the stories of the God of Israel. When she encountered the spies and heard their ominous prediction for her city she chose to believe.
She was a native of Jericho. Jericho was her home. Jericho had high stone walls and brave defenders. She would have had many reasons to place her faith in that which was familiar to her, and which had sustained her in the past.
She chose to place her faith in the God of Israel. The men of Israel told her that if she would hang a scarlet thread from her window on the wall, her house and her life would be spared. A scarlet thread. Not much by way of identity or security, but Rahab hung her faith on a scarlet thread. That scarlet thread represented the power of the God of Israel and, as we know today, it is a beautiful type of the blood of Jesus.
The call to be a woman of faith is a call to turn away from the ideology of the world and to embrace what in the eyes of the world is a futile remedy—a scarlet thread. Rahab’s faith was rooted in her knowledge of the God of Israel and His plan to judge her people. The scarlet thread was her hope of deliverance.
I would like for us to consider how faith in God impacts the primary desires of the feminine heart. Every woman longs for identity, security, and purpose. Jesus has come to meet that heart longing.
Identity –“Who am I?”
This is a question that everyone is compelled to ask at some point in their life—often in adolescence. Young men tend to carve out their identity based in whom they admire and their vocational inclinations. Young women, especially in our Anabaptist communities, are largely at the mercy of the prominent men in their lives to define their identity.
This is not purely cultural. When God said to Eve, …thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee –Genesis 3:16, He was declaring that she and her female descendants would look to the man to define an essential part of their nature.
Fathers play a key role in the early development of a little girl’s identity. Abusive fathers, absent fathers, and indifferent fathers leave in their wake little girls who are uncertain of who they are, or of their value as a person. A father who affirms his daughter’s godly femininity gives her a priceless gift. By that, I mean praising her for qualities of feminine virtue, blessing her for efforts to be chaste and modest, and yes, telling her that she is beautiful.
A woman’s heart will ultimately turn toward a husband. God said, “Thy desire shall be to thy husband”, not to thy father. Most women marry thinking that they have at last found their “savior” and rightly so. Did Paul not say in Ephesians chapter five that the husband is “the savior of the body”? Should a wife not expect to receive from her husband love, affirmation, protection, and provision? This is due to her by divine decree. A godly husband will do everything in his power to provide for her in this way.
“Thy desire shall be to thy husband” is given in the context of the fall. It was one of the consequences of the fall. It is a statement without the promise of fulfillment. This leaves us to believe that, although driven by desire, that desire may go unfulfilled.
What is a woman to do if her husband is unwilling or unable to satisfy her heart’s desire? What if a woman does not have a husband? She must become a woman of faith. Until a woman has found her identity in Jesus, no man will be able to satisfy the deepest longings of her heart.
Many marriages suffer because the wife expects her husband to meet the deep longings of her heart that only Jesus can fulfill. Many men are made to feel inadequate and withdraw when they are expected to be, and to do, for their wives what only Jesus can do.
Calling all women to be women of faith
Women of faith are women who know who they are in Christ Jesus. They have found the deepest longings of their feminine heart met in Him. Because their heart longings are satisfied, they have become a well spring of life to their husband, to their children, and to others.
Security –“Who will protect me?”
Being a woman has always been risky. Women are very vulnerable. In addition to the fact that they are physically more delicate, women are more susceptible to emotional vacillations, and I believe that based on what the Bible has to say about Eve’s deception, that women tend to be more vulnerable to spiritual deception (see 1 Timothy 2:14).
This does not make them inferior to men. Their emotional sensitivity makes them more attune to the many realities of relational problems than many men are. In this, their insight can be a positive thing, helping to balance us men in some of our natural weaknesses. Whatever comparisons we choose to make, I think we can all agree that women need the protection that men offer.
What if the man that is supposed to be protecting you is a coward? We have an example of just such a situation in the Bible. The man’s name is Abraham—yes… the father of faith. Even strong men sometimes make cowardly decisions.
Abraham and Sarah were traveling into Egypt. As they neared Egypt, Abraham became afraid for his life. His wife Sarah was a beautiful woman and Abraham was aware that Egypt was a heathen nation with very loose morals. He was afraid that the Egyptians would kill him so they could have his wife. Abraham said to Sarah, Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee –Genesis 12:13.
Sarah was indeed Abraham’s half-sister. They had the same father, but not the same mother. Abraham’s contingency plan leaves Sarah in a very difficult position. We read nothing of Sarah’s reaction to Abraham’s plan. All we know is that …Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement –1 Peter 3:6.
It would appear that Sarah was not afraid. Her faith was not dependent on Abraham’s protection. She was relying on a higher power. Sarah’s faith gave her a place in the hall of faith in Hebrews chapter 11 and made her Peter’s example of how wives are to relate to their husbands.
The substance of this story is in the outcome. Because of Sarah’s faith, she was delivered from the hand of Pharaoh, the most powerful world ruler of the day. It was Sarah’s faith, not Abraham’s, which protected her.
Women look to men for security, and it is right that they should. Men protect their women as best they can. I believe that when men and women are living within their God-given roles, there is a lot of protection and security available; however, we do live in a fallen world. We do not always honorably fulfill our roles and sometimes God allows evil to befall even the most pious.
Calling all women to be women of faith even as Sarah
Do you have faith to believe that God is bigger than your husband or your father? Are you willing to trust God to overrule where your husband may be weak or even rebellious against God or the church?
A woman of faith is a woman who chooses to trust God in the absence of a reasonable path forward. A woman of faith continues to do what is right, even though it may not be a path of guaranteed security because …The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me –Hebrews 13:6.
Purpose – “Why am I here?”
This is a question that everyone asks at some point in life. We want our lives to have meaning and purpose. The futility of a meaningless living drives men and women into depression and despair. Living purposefully blesses us and others and brings honor to our Creator.
When men think of living purposefully, they envision… a battle to fight, a mountain to conquer, a noble goal to strive for. We men tend to be vision-oriented and goal-focused.
What does it mean for a woman to live purposefully?
Luke gives us some insight into this in the account of Jesus’ visit to the home of Mary and Martha. (See Luke 10:38-42) Jesus would frequently stop by this home when He was passing through Bethany. Here He knew He would find great hospitality and engaging conversation. Today was no exception.
As He relaxed in their sitting room, Mary sat at His feet asking questions and listening intently as He revealed to her the purpose of His life and His future destiny. Mary came to understand things about Jesus that even His disciples had failed to grasp.
Matthew records that when Jesus was dining in the house of Simon a woman, thought to be Mary of Bethany, entered, and knelt and anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive ointment. When the disciples complained about “this waste” Jesus said to them: For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial –Matthew 26:12.
Where did Mary get this understanding? Was it not when she was “sitting at Jesus feet?”
Martha on the other hand was “cumbered about much serving”. Now Jesus had to eat. Someone needed to prepare food and I am certain that Jesus enjoyed Martha’s delicious provisions. But Jesus chided her with “Martha, Martha”. Notice the familial tone of his voice.
He was not judging her nor condemning her. He was challenging her to take time for the important things in life. He commended Mary for she …hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her –Luke 10:42.
I would like to suggest that most of our anxiety is of our own making. We set goals for our life that Jesus never required. We place expectations upon ourselves that have no eternal merit. Like Martha, we stress over frivolity, and damage relationships over trivial matters. Yes, supper must be served, and Mary should help, but not to neglect the “better part”.
Calling all women to be women of faith as Mary who loved to linger at Jesus feet
Life for a wife and mother is full of pressing demands. Defuse your life of stress and anxiety by spending time listening for the voice of Jesus—that “still small voice” that Elijah finally heard.
Stress and anxiety will melt away in the presence of Jesus. God speaks to us by His Holy Spirit through His Word. If it is a challenge for you to find time to sit down with your Bible, then you can quiet your spirit with your hands in the dishwater, or while folding the laundry, or as you once again prepare a meal for your family. At times like this you can commune with God. You can pray to your Father in heaven. You can say things like “I love you Lord Jesus, speak to me through Your Word, bring peace to my soul; quiet the wrestlings of my mind; help me to enter into Your rest; give me Your peace.” Then you can listen as His Spirit prompts your spirit with nuggets of truth from the Scriptures that are hidden away in your heart.
Summary –Calling all women to be women of faith
For your own personal wellbeing:
Women today are bombarded by self-help resources in the form of books, podcasts, social media, and seminars. Much of it is good and can be helpful, but nothing will replace a personal relationship and a daily walk with Jesus.
For the wellbeing of your children:
Today, more than ever we need mothers to be women of faith who can project onto their children that walking with God is real and satisfying. Young Timothy was influenced by the unfeigned faith of his mother and of his grandmother. Never underestimate the effect of the influence of your life on the lives of those who follow you.
For the strength of your husband:
Men today need the support of faithful women, especially their wife. A man’s daily walk can be fortified or diminished by the woman in his life. It has been said “Behind every successful man is woman”. A man is tremendously influenced for good or ill by the women in his life.
For the good of the Church:
Woman of faith, the church needs you. Women bring a grace to the church that is desperately needed. Your prayers are needed. Your testimony gives encouragement. Your song moves our hearts. Your smile gives hope. Your peaceful, joyful countenance of a soul that’s at rest in Jesus is an influence that is rivaled by little else in this world.
