Proverbs 31 Women

Day 1

The Woman of Proverbs 31
Her Character represents the fulfillment of a life lived in Wisdom.

Her Joy is to be praised by her husband and children as a woman who surpasses all others.

Key Scripture can be found by reading Proverbs 31:10 -31

Okay, I must admit, I did not want to end up with this “woman” as my devotional. Why? Well it is a funny story and I am guessing it is one that I must share.

My husband is a Middle School Youth Pastor. He is called to ministry and many times I wonder if I am or not ( I hear that I am not alone in this way of thinking). One day he came home and said that I was his Proverbs 31 wife. I nodded as if I knew what he was talking about. Not 2 minutes after he left for the evening youth group activities, I was running for the first Bible I could find. After reading the passage, I laughed out loud. After composing myself, I called to confirm I had heard him right making sure he knew I did not agree with his previous statement if this was truly the scripture he was referring to. After a few moments on the phone I was reassured that I was not only a Proverbs 31 wife in his eyes but in the eyes of his boss, also a Youth Pastor. I was sure they had eaten something really bad and had gone mad, so I decided to pray over the scripture and ask God himself to reveal to me how this passage even related to me. I learned that sometimes we draw a really ugly picture of who we are. I learned that to my husband and children they are truly blessed by my service to them. I may not add up to the perfect, unrealistic picture I have of who I should be, but to them, I am everything they need. (I like to think it is because I am the only one who does what I do for them, therefore they have no one to compare me with). Several weeks passed and I had nearly forgotten all about this odd statement my husband had shared. I heard someone refer to this passage again, and they were telling me how I resembled this woman of Proverbs 31. Could it be? Had I really earned this title? Perhaps in a few ways I go above and beyond for my family, but “she speaks with wisdom” now that is where I get caught up all the time. I myself struggle daily by the temptations of my flesh and desires to speak just about anything that comes to mind, however, I have, in desperate times, shocked myself by what I say, knowing that God truly has by back when He needs to be heard and not me.

SO what is the point of me writing about this? Well, I just want to tell you that as uncomfortable as it is to hear, we truly are a ruby to someone. Usually it’s our children, maybe to a friend, a pet. We are what we strive to be and sometimes we miss that we may be even close to our goal. One thing is for sure, I know deep down that I have a long way to being the Proverbs 31 picture of a perfect woman, but now I have a better picture of what I should strive for. I have a better understanding of how others may not judge me as harsh as I do. That my husband is happy with his ruby and dare I say my children are too. I know I do not always seek my god first, nor do I walk clothed in the spirit of righteousness all the time, but I learned a lot about how important it is to take a compliment and decided that love might be blind after all.

Many blessings today and throughout this week. Please pray for me as my husband is at middle school camp all week and I am again holding down the fort, sucking it up, and spending much needed girly time with my 3 precious girls. Maybe I can instill some sort of picture of what God wants them to be instead of what this world makes us think we should be.

Day 2

Our Life and Times
Does just reading about the Proverbs 31 woman make you tired? Do you wish she would just sit down and rest a moment? Whatever your response to this larger-than-life woman, you can’t help but notice that she never wasted the time given her. In our convenient culture of store-bought clothing and fast-food restaurants, you may not need to weave your own cloth or cook your own meals- but that’s not the issue. The issue is whether we’re making good use of the time given to us.

After a weekend convention I once wrote in my journal that my biggest desire would be to spend time as if it were more valuable than money. Making sure to understand that each moment is a matter of life and death. Never sure of when our last breath will be, we should spend it on glorifying the Lord. Have you ever set out to be someone and let life get in the way. I struggle with staying busy, but what for? Is my work for the Lord?

I hope this week I can somehow spark a new awareness of what it is to strive for wisdom as written in the Proverbs. Check out chapter 3:13-16 also. Don’t forget to read over the Proverbs 31 each day and see what God has to say about you. As for me, I think I will continue to pray through each line, making sure that I don’t miss anything that would make me worthy of praise from my family.

Day 3

Going over the scripture reference from Monday, please think a bit over the following

Describe the relationship between this woman and her husband.
What aspects of their relationship do you wish were part of your relationship with your husband if you are married? With a husband when you are married? What is your role in that part of the relationship and what can you do?

List some of the different tasks that keep this woman busy. Now list how she goes about her work.
What keeps you busy? In what ways can you improve your attitude about your work?
What is the thing that is most praiseworthy in any woman? What if she isn’t much of a housekeeper or isn’t handy at crafts or isn’t very good looking? What would make her still worthy of praise?

Is the fear of the Lord evident in your everyday life?

Day 4

For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Proverbs 8:11
Reflect on Proverbs 8:11 - 36
Praise God for the gift of wisdom, which preserves, blesses, and even prolongs our life.
Offer thanks for the benefits of wisdom you have already tasted in your daily life.
Confess any tendency to choose the wisdom of the world over the wisdom of God.
Ask God every day to make you a woman who longs for wisdom, who prefers it to silver and gold.