Speaking to the wounded women... (written July 18th early AM)

On Thursday, July 16, I spoke with a group of women and I was sure I felt God with me. How thankful I am for His presence. Since I am completely aware of my inability to help these women, but I have full confidence in God’s ability to bring understanding to them of what He says about loving their husbands and being His daughter.
Most of these women either have been mistreated, are still mistreated, or they live with the understanding in their culture that women are “less than” and therefore intimate, Godly love is lost to them in relationships with their husbands.

It is a personal challenge to me to stand in front of a group of women and tell them to love their husbands and keep their promise of marriage and faithfulness to their husbands when the reality of their lives is that they may very well be beaten by that same man I’m holding them accountable to love. It is making me look hard at the scriptures and realign my understanding of what God says, rather than what I have deduced from the vantage point of my culture, my life, my own marriage, and what I’ve been taught.

I’m drawn to Ruth (in the Bible). She was married to Naomi’s son, he died, and then Ruth remained faithful to Naomi (by choice not by law). We do not know if Ruth’s husband was kind or mean, the Bible makes know issue of that point. After becoming a widow, Ruth and Naomi travel back to Bethlehem, their homeland. When they arrived, Naomi embraced her bitterness and grief, while Ruth went to work gleaning in the fields for something to eat.
Ruth’s life could not have been easy. It surely was very difficult. The Lord does not even see the value in giving us more intimate details about the harshness of her life during those days, but when studying the culture of the time, we can know these were overwhelmingly difficult days for Ruth. And yet, she continues to do the right thing, regardless of circumstances.
Thankfully God causes Ruth to be noticed by Boaz, the owner of the field where she happens to be gleaning. Boaz tells the men of the area not to touch her and then he speaks to her and welcomes her to glean in his fields, asking her to not go to other fields so she can remain safe from harm.
The beautiful story continues on with the conclusion of Ruth and Boaz eventually being married.

The point that touches my heart is that Ruth’s life was VERY hard. She was alone with a bitter mother-in-law and undoubtedly hungry. She reacted to all this, by simply getting up each day and doing the next right thing --- she went to the fields and worked gathering food.
God sees her humbleness and her perseverance and He recognizes her continued love for her mother in law. And by His grace he chooses to bless her with a husband of high standing and a child named Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse who was the father of David, King David. And David was a forefather of Jesus.
Ruth’s gentle obedience and love was rewarded by God in amazing ways --- she was a blood line ancestor to Christ.

So as I ponder on telling these women in Africa to LOVE their husbands and remember their marriage vows regardless of how the husband chooses to act --- I am humbled to know that this is the right thing. God does not necessarily look at the circumstances of our lives --- He looks at how we choose to live within those circumstances. And if we love with His love – a love that is patient, kind, does not envy or boast, is not proud. If we love in a way that is not rude or self-seeking, is not easily angered and keeps no record of wrongs. If our love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres, then our love will not fail.

In 1 Corinthians 13: 13 we are told, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love, But the greatest of these is love.”
We must have faith in God to believe Him for meeting our needs and even if husbands are wrong in their choices (as many are here in Africa), we can continue to hope in the Lord (not in the man, but in the Lord). But the greatest of these three things is LOVE. Because love is an instrument God can and will flow through --- and change lives.

Today I speak with another group of ladies. Their pastor has shared with me the intense challenges these ladies face everyday. I have never been beaten or brutalized – they have. I have never been mistreated by my dear Steve or my good father – these women have been mistreated by the men in their lives. I feel insufficient to speak into their pained lives as I have only ever known a life filled with good men who protect and love. And I confess, the flesh side of me wants to say --- if your husband is beating you --- then I’ll get a group of good men from America and we’ll come beat the crap out of him until he stops beating you!
But God in me says, no – he says --- tell them what MY WORD says – and do not speak with your words but with mine. Tell them about Ruth and read them 1 Corinthians 13 – and I’ll be the one and only Savior they need. If they love and follow me, I will change the world in which they live. Only the power of the Holy Spirit can do such a thing.

God please be the words I speak today. You be the message in this vessel called me. Give them ears to hear your truth and strength to endure and persevere in your ways. May their husbands be transformed by the renewing of YOUR SPIRIT and may your love be seen, felt, heard, and embraced in their lives and in their relationships.

It’s a message too big for me Lord – but one that is well fitted to You.