BE A WOMAN WORTHY OF CONFIDENCE

Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

Proverbs  31:10-12

Guided Prayer

Dear heavenly Husband, my deepest desire is to become a wife of noble character for you.  I know the real test of my character is who I am when no one is watching but you.  It’s not what I do to impress others or please myself that counts.  What matters are those choices I make simply because I want to honor you.  I want you to be able to have full confidence in me. I want you to be able to call on me and count on me to do the right thing.  I want to be valuable asset to your cause on the earth.  I want to bring you good, not harm, all the days of my life.  Thank you for loving me.  Empower me to live a life of graceful service in response.  Amen.

The Proverbs 31 woman’s husband had full confidence in her because she brought him good and not harm all the days of her life.  Can your husband or employer or friends have full confidence in you?  Do you bring them good, not harm?

As we have already seen, God is our spiritual husband.  Are you the kind of woman that God can have full confidence in?  Have you ever thought about the idea of bringing God good and not harm?

First, how might we bring him harm?  The most obvious way to harm a husband, earthly or heavenly, is driving him to jealousy by pursuing other exclusive relationships. The very first commandment reveals how important this issue is to God. Throughout the Old Testament, God’s anger burned against Israel for their adulteries – meaning they pursued other relationships and priorities more than him.  Jesus reiterated this when he said, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matt. 6:33).  God wants to be first, and when we get our priorities mixed up-when we give him second, third, or tenth place in our heart and on our schedule -we bring him harm.

By contrast, we bring God good by living in such a way that he can have full confidence in us.  One of the best messages I ever heard was titled “Can God Trust You?” A good wife is one who does the right thing even when her husband isn’t watching, who remains faithful and diligent no matter the circumstances.  She is trustworthy.

Can God have full confidence in you?  Do you do the right thing even when no human is watching?  In private are you the same woman you proclaim to be in public?  The Bible assures us that what is done in secret will eventually be shouted from the rooftops (Luke 12:2-3).

Examine your life.  Is there anything you are doing, or failing to do, in your private life that you excuse because it is “secret”?

When dealing with difficult areas, it helps to have at least one person, an accountability partner, with whom we can be completely open about our struggles, someone who will love us enough to tell us when we are heading in the wrong direction.  Be sure you have such a person available to you.  If necessary, reach out for help from your local church or support group.

Now is the time, while you are on the journey to becoming the woman God wants you to be, to deal decisively with anything that might hold you back from that goal.  Be determined that nothing will prevent you from becoming someone worthy of confidence.

Affirmation:  I bring God good, not harm, all the days of my life.

Identify areas in your life that might hold you back from becoming the woman God is calling you to be.  Know your weaknesses, be honest about them, and determine to deal with them.  Find an accountability partner and/or support group to help you.