A Faithful Wife
pamela spurling
Oh, to be a faithful wife.
Oh, to be a wife that says Welcome Home to her husband.
Oh, to be a wife who,
morning and evening, is a welcome sight for her husband... and I am
not talking about that outward appearance that will change with
age... but that inner beauty that comes from a wife who is content
and knows the joy of the LORD. This is a faithful wife.
I am thinking about the ways
in which the wife must be so attuned to her husband that she
anticipates his needs relative to his obligations and commitments
and seeks to work in such a way as to be a compliment to support and
provide the necessary encouragement or assistance to help him
accomplish his work. I am thinking about anticipating needs...
anticipating those things that will hinder him, and setting about to
remove obstacles from his way. There was a book, or rather a
Bible study when we were first married called "Wives of Happy
Husbands" ... well, I didn't think I needed to go to that Bible study because I knew
all there was to know about marriage and we were happy and I
couldn't imagine why in the world anyone would need to go to a Bible
study to learn how to be a godly wife! Oh, my younger self! How
pitiful... I wonder now how many "potholes" I could have avoided and
how much grief I could have saved my husband had I been more open
and teachable in those early years. But, O-my, how the LORD has
undertaken and protected us from my ignorance! And so, today as I
seek to learn more and more, I am so thankful to my husband for his
patience and to the LORD for His provision and protection!
We need to be very careful
listening to the whispers of the world... the whispers that scatter
seeds of discontent... whispers that question the value of a godly
woman in the home... or the submission of a wife to her husband.
The whispers that question our need to be set apart from the world.
This is when the necessity of leaning into the LORD is most crucial.
Will we listen? Will we
allow the seeds of discontent mature into plants of resistance with
roots of bitterness? We cannot afford to listen to satan's lies if
we are to be the godly women the LORD has designed us to be... we
must resist the devil as the Bible says, an he will flee. You see?
The Bible doesn’t tell us to contend with or wrestle with the devil;
no, it says *resist* and he will flee.
My husband's schedule varies
from day to day and so over the years, I have often not known
exactly when or where he'd be working, though it’s generally very
local. Sometimes his work allows for him to bring one or more of
the children and sometimes I am able to go along for the day... I
enjoy these rare times so much. I have made a very concerted effort
over the years to understand his work and to take an interest in
each job. I learned early on that if I studied to understand what
he does, I would have a deeper appreciation for his work and I would
have a greater understanding for how to pray for and encourage him
each day.
This attention to detail has
also made me understand him better, too---and the amazing thing is
that the more I am concerned for him, the more he is concerned for
me---even though that was not my original intention nor was it a
hidden motive. Isn't that the way many things go in life? The LORD
Jesus says to do unto others as we would have others do unto us---He
gives us that command and we are to obey---treating others in love
and kindness--- and amazingly, He takes care of the product or the
results of our actions. In our obedience, there is great reward...
but the reward is the LORD's doing. His blessing.
His plan and purpose: ours
is to obey. He tells us that if we love Him we will obey Him. Love
and obedience are interwoven. How do we come to love the Lord
Jesus? We come to love Him by obeying His precious Word. In time
we learn to watch for Him more and more. In time, we see He proves
Himself faithful and true. In this way also, we become faithful to
the One who is Faithful and True. Many times, we want things to
happen: “just like that” (with a snap of our fingers). But the
Refiner is patient and careful and the process of love and obedience
often takes time.
Time
Time and prayer...
Time and prayer and study...
Time and prayer and study and praise...
Time and prayer and study and praise and petitioning...
Time and prayer and study and praise and petitioning and watching...
Time and prayer and study and praise and petitioning and watching
and waiting...
Waiting in Obedience.
Waiting... waiting on the
LORD to do what He says He will do and trusting Him for His Work and
His Word. HE is faithful and His love never fails.
What He has said He will
do---He WILL do. We can trust Him: count on Him!
Psalms 27.14
"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine
heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."
Are you learning to trust
Him more as the days pass?
Psalms 18.30 "As for God,
His way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler
to all those that trust in Him."
Are you learning to love Him
more and more? You know, He loves you with an everlasting love. Are
you down or lonely today and need to hear that? He loves you so
much that He never stops looking after you. We only know this when
we have made the commitment to walk with Him and lean into Him.
When we do this, we build trust because He is trustworthy and He is
faithful.
The natural byproduct of
this love is that we long to tell others of His love and
faithfulness. This is one of the reasons I can't wait to write to
you each week... He proves Himself over and over to be Faithful and
True and I want to tell you about it. I want to share with you what
He is doing... and pray that you will be blessed!
Psalms 73.28 "But it is good
for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
that I may declare all thy works." He cannot violate Himself---He
will look after all that concerns you. We are called to obey Him and
in everything give thanks. It's often hard to *feel* thankful...
when we have little money and no resources, when we feel so badly
inside about a business or friendship loss, when we are grieving the
loss of a loved one, or the ache of concern for a wayward son or
daughter.... All of these situations take the "life" out of us in
one way or another... but what does God say? Well, we are to be
faithful... we are to trust... we are to wait... Psalms 27.14 says,
"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine
heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." See? It is the LORD's doing...
He will complete what concerns us and He will strengthen us to wait
on Him.
We read in the Word:
"Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it." ---1
Thessalonians 5.24.
So, the faithful wife waits
on the LORD. She anticipates the schedule and needs of her
husband----and most importantly, she seeks to h-e-l-p him. The
faithful wife is the helper. So often we reserve our help because
of what we fear... we reserve our help for fear that our own needs
won't be met... but from waiting on the LORD and leaning into Him,
not only needn't we fear, but we *mustn't fear*. My husband has had
to help me many times over the years with this one... as several
years ago, when faced with a great challenge, he said to me that
it's a sin to worry. I felt as though I ought to worry! I mean
someone HAD to worry and since he seemed not to be terribly
concerned... I made it my business to worry and to fret and to
fear. Over the years I am learning about this sin of worry.
Worrying about this and worrying about that... it takes my eyes off
Jesus... off the very One---the *only* One who truly knows and cares
for me and is concerned with everything that pertains to me.
Nahum 1.7 "The LORD is good,
a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust
in him." I will say of the LORD He is my refuge and my strength...
I will trust in Him. I long to be found faithful... and I pray that
the LORD will continue to help me be so... and that He will guide
and provide all that is needed... and that He will help you, too.
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© 2004 pamela
spurling, The Welcome Home
http://www.achristianhome.org
