A much needed reminder going into the break.
Be still my soul: the Lord is on your side
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain
Leave to your God to order and provide
In every change, He will remain.
Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
To guide the future, as in ages past.
Your hope, your mind, your will let nothing shake
All now mysterious shall be bright.
Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s joy restored.
Be still my soul, be still my soul—and praise Him.
Father, make still my soul.
This is a reallllly good article that addresses some things that have been on my own heart lately.
I am a woman, who is in waiting right now. Not for men like I think would be gathered from this, but i’m a woman waiting on God…in my future plans. I am actively and purposefully in a period of waiting… and this article was a huge encouragement to me. Check it, Yo.
THIS is the king whom I bow down to. The King who has delivered me from the depths of the grave (psalm 86). This is the only King worthy of giving our lives to.
kate showed this to me today, So I take no credit for it. But especially with Easter around the corner, I find the lyrics touching. lol
Though the Earth Cried out for blood
Satisfied her hunger was
Her billows calmed on raging seas
for the souls on men she craved
Sun and moon from balcony
Turned their head in disbelief
Their precious Love would taste the sting
disfigured and disdained
On Friday a thief
On Sunday a King
Laid down in grief
But awoke with keys
Of Hell on that day
The first born of the slain
The Man Jesus Christ
Laid death in his grave
So three days in darkness slept
The Morning Sun of righteousness
But rose to shame the throes of death
And over turn his rule
Now daughters and the sons of men
Would pay not their dues again
The debt of blood they owed was rent
When the day rolled a new
On Friday a thief
On Sunday a King
Laid down in grief
But awoke holding keys
To Hell on that day
The first born of the slain
The Man Jesus Christ
Laid death in his grave
On Friday a thief
On Sunday a King
Laid down in grief
But awoke with keys
Of Hell on that day
The first born of the slain
The Man Jesus Christ
Laid death in his grave
He has cheated
Hell and seated
Us above the fall
In desperate places
He paid our wages
One time once and for all
I’ve been thinking about this post for quite some time now, it was meant to be a valentines thing, but that has come and gone long ago haha so I suppose now is a good a time as any. As someone who most seriously struggles with the same “woes” of womanhood (and singleness haha) as any other, I came upon these two verses in 1 peter and these are just some of my thoughts specifically directed at being a woman. :) There’s sooo much more I could say and what I have is not so clear, but I pray you find the ramblings of an ordinary daughter of Christ encouraging lol and see the unique nature of being a woman and how blessed we are to have a Father who has made us in such a way.
Before I go on, I just want to thank you ladies. Thank you for upholding a beauty that is real and holding onto Christ and his image of beauty. The world continually attempts to taint and twist this image of beauty, convincing us it isn’t enough. I see character and beauty within each of you that encourages and challenges me to seek even harder after God, knowing his design for womanhood is far more beautiful and satisfying than the one the world pursues.
1 peter 3:4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. (ESV)
Okay so breaking down this verse, what first comes to my mind is a desire to understand what the vision is that God reveals here of womanhood. Right off the bat, the verse begins unraveling this image by directing us to consider what our adornment is, as women. And encouraging us to consider the hidden and eternal person of the heart to be our precious adorning.
So, what is the hidden person of the heart and why should it be our adorning over all else? I’m reminded of our good friend Tommy Nelson here and the idea that our character is our fragrance. The hidden person of the heart, the imperishable beauty of the soul is the fragrance that should draw others to us.
It would seem risky to hide ourselves in order to attract others to ourselves, but because of how God designed us we do not need to work to bring attention to ourselves. For women, we experience ‘waiting upon the Lord’ in a way that men do not. We were meant to be pursued and as a result we are pushed to trust God and wait upon his perfect plans for us concerning our relationship status. I personally find this position of waiting and submitting to the plans of God ironic and slightly amusing, considering the role this type of beautiful submission plays in marriage, but that’s probably just me who finds that funny and would even use the word beautiful in relation to submission haha. I follow the very cheese truth that a man should have to seek God to be able to find me. They pursue. We trust the lord, that being gentle and “quiet” in spirit, the Lord will provide what we need. (Matthew 6:25-34)
Waiting goes against our nature. Today we are told to wait for nothing. We are told to grab life by the horns, make our own future, sell ourselves and skills to climb the corporate ladder, take control ourselves. This is not the woman God depicts within this verse. She is a woman who waits and trusts and surrenders her life and plans to her Father who works for her good and desires her best. This tension between our desire to control and God’s vision in being hidden and patient finds resolution only as we continually fix our gaze on the cross and the grace displayed there that gives us the power to change and be restored to the image he originally made us in. Although our sin causes us to fall short of this beauty, God’s redeeming work in our lives gives us hope to live out this womanhood. For this I am thankful.
Knowing this, I think we can see how the womanhood laid out in 1 peter 3:4 and throughout God’s word reveals glimmers of God’s holiness within this woman. There is a beauty in seeking to be more Christ-like, seeking to uphold His holiness and righteousness and grace… through our lives.
The beauty and character rooted in the world is self-focused. As people who are sinners to their very core, our beauty is certainly not of ourselves, it’s the beauty of Christ in us—which is imperishable and eternal. <3
THIS woman is precious to God. precious:
1. Of high cost or worth; valuable.2. Highly esteemed; cherished.3. Dear; beloved.
this is precious to Him, we are cherished by Him. :)
So, what are the things that fight against this vision of womanhood? Within my own heart, I see pride. And I have to ultimately ask whose favor I am seeking. Am I seeking the favor of men or God? (Galatians 1:10, Matt 6:1-17) In all honestly, more often than I care to own up to, my pride desires the temporary attentions of men and this world.
When I seek the favor of Christ, even though it may not catch the eyes of men, I am assured that I am precious to God. I will know that my adorning does lie on my wrists on in the clothes I wear or how perfect my hair looks, but that it is hidden within my heart… an imperishable beauty that is eternal versus the fleeting beauty this world pursues.
My prideful pursuit of recognition holds at its core the question ‘do I truly understand that Jesus is sufficient’? Do I understand that I have no need beyond him and his saving grace. Do I hold the joys of relationships and marriage above the joy of knowing my father? Do I hold what the world tells me I should value above the truth found in His word as to what is truly of value? Does my mistrust of God’s provision lead me to pursue these attentions on my own?
1 Peter 2:11 beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against your soul.
The world will consistently and persistently implant lies in our minds that true beauty lies outwardly and that in order to be seen by not just men, but the world, we have to pridefully display ourselves. But we have been made to hold a beauty that is so much more. A beauty that is quiet and gentle and found hidden within our hearts, beauty that comes from Christ living in us and transforming us into his image.
Father, I confess I am not this woman. My heart seeks recognition and glory that does not belong to me. My pride fights against this vision of womanhood, whispering lies that you are not sufficient and that the acceptance and assurance of this world is something that I desire. Father—thank you that those are lies and that you are forever patient with me. May I be a woman hidden in you and your word and may any real beauty I hold be because of you living in me.
Amen.
