There are numerous other examples in the Scriptures of godly women who
provided counsel, instruction or correction to men. Huldah the prophetess
was sought out by King Josiah's top leaders for her advice about the
spiritual condition of their nation (2 Kin. 22:14-20). When the elderly
prophetess Anna recognized that the baby Jesus was the long-awaited
Messiah, she proclaimed his identity to his parents and to all who came
into the temple. She was, in fact, one of the first people on planet Earth
to publicly proclaim the gospel of the new covenant. And the apostle Paul
mentions a total of seven women when listing his trusted co-laborers; these
were women who functioned as either pastors, evangelists, deacons or apostles.
It seems odd indeed that Christian men would have difficulty accepting the
authority of women when every man has had to submit to the instruction
and discipline of his own mother. In the Christian family we expect a mother
to exercise authority: She not only provides nurturing love and sustenance
to her children, but she brings swift discipline when necessary, and her
children benefit most when her instruction is rigorous. Don't we need the
same qualities in our spiritual mothers? Shouldn't we expect them to rule
with godly authority?
Most Christian men, whether they admit it or not, would not be where they
are today had it not been for the Priscillas and other spiritual mothers who
came alongside them at the right time and gave a timely word of encouragement
or counsel. Because of insecurity, we think our masculinity is deficient if we
admit we need the insights that these women provide. The church as a whole
would be better off if we would ask God to shatter our male pride so we can
make room for these women to function in their divine giftings.
Strength is her clothing. Nowhere in the Bible are women called to be weak. A
careful study of women in Scripture reveals that the godly women who served His
purpose in their generation displayed courage, endured hardship and exercised
the kind of faith that overcomes impossible odds. Righteous women in the Bible
did not sit in the back of the church with their mouths shut or wait until they got
permission to challenge injustice.
The great women of the Bible were fearless. Remember the Jewish midwives,
who put their own lives in jeopardy in Egypt to protect the infants who had
been sentenced to death by Pharaoh. Remember Rahab, who disobeyed
the authorities in Jericho because she knew God was with the Israelite
spies. Her faith saved her household and placed her in the lineage of Christ.
Remember Esther, who placed her own life on the line because she believed
God could use her to turn the heart of a king and save thousands of lives.
If we examine the "model woman" described in Proverbs 31, it's obvious that
she is not a mousy housewife or a timid wallflower. She did not allow patriarchal
society to define her worth in terms of her sexuality, her appearance or her mundane
domestic duties. We are told that she "girds herself with strength, and strengthens
her arms" (v. 17, NKJV). This doesn't mean she was a female bodybuilder; the
passage refers to her strength of character and her readiness for spiritual battle.
A major misconception in the church today is that women were created to be
weak and shy, and that it is abnormal or even perverse for a woman to display
of strength. Rather than argue about whether women are weak, can't
we acknowledge that we are all just clay vessels? Whether male or female, we
are frail in our humanity and in our tendency to sin. None of us who aspire to
the ministry can ever hope to see lives changed by Christ's presence if we rely
on our own fleshly abilities. We are called to glory in our weakness so that
He might be strong in us.
It's time for the weaker vessels to come forth. Christian women who have lived
in the shadows of insignificance need to arise and put on strength. This is the
hour that Joel foretold, a time for both the sons and the daughters to prophesy.
Women of God, you can't be silent anymore! *
