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Wife of Valor?

by Sheila Dougal
1/21/2007 / Devotionals

"But you shall pass before your brethren armed, all your mighty men of valor, and help them," Joshua 1:14b

"Men of valor," sound familiar? "A wife of valor is a crown to her husband" Proverbs 12:4 I recently started a website called wife of valor, excited to share my own struggles and victories, and encourage other women in their marriages.

Last night I was really struggling though. There are dear people in my life who I worry may think I'm saying, "Hey. Look at me. I'm a wife of valor and you're not..." My tendency in life has been to hold back for fear of what people may think of me, and once again I find myself struggling with that. I even considered renaming the site, but in prayer that nudge from the Holy Spirit says, "Stay on course. Don't be afraid."

This morning, my studies in Joshua have me at this verse where Joshua's talking to the tribes of Israel who dwelt on the east side of the Jordan. Though the promised land of God was on the other side of the Jordan, 2 1/2 tribes were given a place facing the promised land, looking at it, but not in it. I've heard teachings on this before, and quite frankly I don't know myself exactly what the implications are (I'll have to dig into that one later), but for now, what caught my attention was what Joshua called these men, "men of valor."

In the study I'm preparing for a home group right now called, "Helper," I'm exploring the three different entities called "helper" in scripture. They are 1) All Three Persons of the Trinity, 2) Men of war in the Old Testament, and 3) Wives.
This study is really knocking the chains off the "old ball and chain" idea that being a wife is a second class position God enslaves women to. It's great! As I've been studying this and facing my fears of people I love thinking I'm a "holier than thou," woman who thinks she's a wife of valor, when I KNOW I'm just a knee-knocking, wimpy, hider; I take courage in seeing the "men of valor" I am (all wives are) compared to in scripture.

In Judges 6-8 we read the story of Gideon. Gideon and his people were enslaved by the Midianites. (Interestingly enough the word Midianites means "strife or contention." That's just a bonus thought to think on.) Israel's own sin was the cause of they're slavery, and they were so afraid of the Midianites they hid in caves, dens, and strongholds in the mountains just to be safe. Gideon was no exception. He also was hiding in fear, trying get wheat ready for making food, when the Angel of the Lord came and proclaimed to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!" (Judges 6:12).

Mighty man of valor? Wasn't Gideon a person like the rest of Israel, enslaved because of their own sin, hiding in fear because of their forgetfulness of God's delivering power? How could the Lord call him a mighty man of valor? Even Gideon questioned this, "...if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn't they say, 'The LORD brought us up out of Egypt'? But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites." (Judges 6:13) Gideon really questioned God's faithfulness, he even goes on in the story to doubt his ability to rescue Israel, question that it's the Lord who's speaking to him, and even after the Lord proves His power to Gideon, he follows God's instruction in the dark for fear of what his family might think of him (Judges 6:27).

Boy, I could go on and on here. I really see myself as a Gideon; a wimpy, weak, fearful, hider. This is the thing I want you to know; any woman who loves the Lord has in them the title "wife of valor."

Like me, and the men of valor who were called to help God's people by Joshua, and Gideon, a person who found himself enslaved by his and his nation's own sin- hiding in fear, forgetting God's faithfulness- ANY woman who will at any time turn to God's call on their life to be a wife of valor is granted that honor. It doesn't matter your past, your weaknesses, your fears or your failures. God is in the business of using what's weak to show the "strong" HIS power. It's not me, or any "good wife," or these men of war, or Gideon, or any other person used by God throughout history who makes the mark of a person of valor, it's the word of God who makes them victorious.

Gideon questioned the Lord's title to him of mighty man of valor, and the Lord said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?"

Hasn't the LORD God- the Lord of Abraham who was barren, of Moses who was fearful and had murdered, of Jacob who swindled, of David who was the smallest who lied, cheated and killed, and the Lord of countless other fearful and fallen men- hasn't the LORD God of all these called you, dear woman of God?

Just as the Lord said to Gideon, by His Spirit I encourage you, don't look at the circumstances your own sin has gotten you into, don't look at the past, hasn't God called you, hasn't He sent you? It's He who gives you might to go in. It's He who gives me strength to accept this call, this title I know I never earned or could live up to in my own strength. Though like Gideon I struggle with fear, I will believe God! I want whatever He wants to give me, even the honor of being a wife of valor.

Sheila Dougal is a 32 year old wife and mother living in Goodyear, Arizona with her husband James and their two sons. She enjoys serving in the women's and children's ministries at her local church, and writing on her website www.wifeofvalor.com.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

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