Know Your Worth

Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain (Prov 31:10-11). The Greek word for virtuous is ḥayil, meaning strength, might, efficiency, wealth and army. It speaks to a military type of strength that this wife is providing to her husband. Not only does she provide undergirding strength, the heart of her husband safely trusts her. This verse reminds me of Joseph, who Potiphar entrusted all that he had and then only concerned himself with what he was eating (Gen 39:6).

God made wives to be strong. Strength and honour are the clothing of this virtuous woman (Prov 31:25). When you consider all that we do, managing the home, raising the children and some of us are also entrepreneurs. All of this work is not for the faint hearted. Wives are not only strong, but are their husbands' help meet. We are his ʿēzer, the one who helps. This role of a helper is no small task. The psalmist said in Ps 33:20 and Ps 115:11 that the Lord was his help (ʿēzer) and shield. The Lord equips wives to provide supernatural, divine help to their husbands in the same way He provides help to us. The great thing is that we can run to the Helper to provide us with all of the wisdom, discernment and strength needed to help our husbands. For the Lord does not call us into anything that He Himself will not equip us.

If you are a wife, know that the Lord has called you to be strong. If you are feeling weary, run to the Lord who can strengthen you. If you feel like your role as a wife is passive and subservient, that is nothing far from the truth. The virtuous woman was strong, wise, compassionate, an entrepreneur, a decision maker and kind. No role that the Lord establishes is unimportant. My encouragement to you today is therefore to know your worth, stand erect and walk boldly into what He has called you to.

Prayer

Lord thank you for making me strong, thank you for equipping me for the role of a wife. I lean not on my own understanding and wisdom. I need Your guidance, discernment and boldness to effectively support my husband and to manage my home well. Let me only be a blessing to my family and like the merchant ships, let my family be expectant of what I bring to the home. Forgive me if I ever undermined the value you placed on me as a woman and a wife. I thank You for Your goodness and who You are. I thank You that I am loved, I am called and I am chosen. In Jesus name. Amen.