The past few weeks in my sorority's bible studies (Kappa Phi), we have been talking about what it means to be a Godly Woman and how we should view ourselves the way God views us. This made me think of one of my favorite bible verses. Proverbs 31:25 says, "She is clothed in strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future". I would like to take some time and pick this verse apart. There are several other places in the Bible that elaborate on this idea, and I would like to show you all what He has to say! This entry is more focused toward the ladies but I hope you guys will be able to pull something useful out of it as well.
The first part of this verse, "She is clothed in strength and dignity" can actually be split into two parts. The first interpretation can be taken literally. God calls us to find strength through Him and to wrap ourselves up in it. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says, "It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes that should make you beautiful. Beauty comes from within; from a gentle and quiet spirit. This beauty will never disappear for it is worth very much to God". I think, especially in this culture of inward self focus, that we pay much more attention than is necessary to our outward appearance. I do this myself, it is the way we grew up. What we have to realize is that the only person we were put here to "impress" is God. It is not our physicality that impresses Him either; it is our actions. Another thought about this verse is that by changing ourselves to match what others find "perfect" or "attractive", we are, by extension, denying what God has called "perfect" in us. We are ultimately telling Him that what he did was not good enough for us and that we are not satisfied. Even now, I catch myself thinking about the cute shirt I saw at Target or the way I would look if I wore this or that outfit. In the end, I (we) just need to try to remember that what is pleasing to Him is not about what we wear on our bodies, but what we wear on our hearts.
The second interpretation can be taken figuratively. Isaiah 62:3 says, " you shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of your God". In this verse we are reminded of just how perfectly God already sees us. He sees us as a jewel, a crown, a diadem. We are His favorite and most prized possession. He continues to remind us of this in Psalm 45:11 when He says, "He is jealous for me". It cant get any clearer than that! He made us so amazingly in His own sight that He himself is jealous for us. He yearns for a relationship with us, His creation.
The second part of this verse says "And she laughs without fear of the future". When I first read this, I did not understand why she laughs. How can "she" walk so confidently. Does "she" not have any insecurities, any fear, any past regrets? I think we all have one or more of the previous. This clouds our sight of what is great and does not allow us to see just how beautiful this world is. So I dug a little deeper to try and find why "she" is so confident. Isaiah 6:17 says, "I will put my trust in Him". I guess that is as a good as any place to start. This verse is God calling us lay it all down. Raise up our problems, our insecurities, our worries to him and just trust. TRUST. Later in Isaiah (Isaiah 40:31) we are told that "those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint" Further we can read in Romans 12:12 that we are to "be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer". This goes back to raising everything up to Him. By giving our worries up to God we are able to focus on the lives He has called us to live.
So now that we are able to focus on our God driven lives, we can finally begin to understand why she laughs. Luke 1:45 says, "Blessed is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her". This verse instills confidence in us that by trusting in Him and believing that He has it under control that we will be given only the best by Him. Do not misunderstand though! This does not mean that by trusting everything to God that we will get everything we want. It says that He will fulfill His promises, not ours. But after all, He knows what is best for us! To continue with this thought, Psalm 46: 5 says, "God is within her; she can not fail". That is a reason to be joyful right?! By taking Jesus as our saviour we are promised a God filled life and therefore all our God driven endevors will succeed! You may ask how this can happen for you. How can you get the joy of knowing everything will be okay and turn out for the best? How can you be filled with God and not fail? Proverbs 16:3 says, "commit to the Lord whatever you do and He will establish your plans". Also, Jeremiah 29:11-14 says, " For I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". I think this is ultimately why she laughs. She realizes that her plans are not her own. By taking the commitment to follow Jesus she understands and accepts that her plans are no longer hers, but His and she is happy to serve Him. I have taken that committment and I encourage you to consider the same if you havnt already. You dont have to jump right in. Just pray and listen. If you are willing to listen to what amazing plans God has for you, you will be able to laugh at the future as well.
"For I am the daughter of a King, who is not moved by the world. For my God is with me and goes before me. I do not fear because I am His."
In love and in Chist,
Ashlin
Love it! And I love you :)
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