There are so many strong male roles in the Bible that perhaps the women seem to get overlooked, yet the Bible discusses many women: Ruth, Esther, Mary, Eve, Deborah, Hagar, Martha, Sarah, Delilah, Rachel, Leah, Jezebel, Anna, Dorcas, Naomi, Jehosheba, Abigail, Bathsheba, Elizabeth, Rebekah, Hannah, Miriam, Junia, Zipporah, Lois, Eunice, Michal and more.
Good and bad, these women are examples of the Lord using their strengths and weaknesses for His glory. Through deep strength and peace or through regret and heartache, they become historic heroes or villains whom we look back on today for examples to help us in our walk of faith.
All of these women have a clear purpose and value, and they all have a name. If you’re a woman, you might find it hard to relate to these women because you don’t feel as special or called to be used by God as they did.
I sometimes feel unworthy of creating or participating in a movement for Christ in today’s world, and I find myself thinking:
I am just a woman.
I am just a college student.
I am just a friend, daughter and sister.
I am just me — nothing particularly special or useful about me.
Whether you feel this way or not, there is hope because Jesus also uses the weak, the hurt and the “nothing special” to write His story.
There are plenty of other women in the Bible who experienced their sorrow turning into joy, pain turning into relief, and trial turning into triumph. Their stories are just as strengthening and peaceful, yet some of these women are unnamed.
We know them through their brokenness, their trials, their labels, and their pasts. They were not seen as the most glamorous or desirable people; they were outcasts. They were unwanted, unloved, alone, damaged emotionally, physically and spiritually, yet God gave them some of the most powerful stories. To the world though, they were worthless and unimportant.
Today we call them “the prostitute,” “the poor,” “the widow” and “the crippled.” All of them were broken, but God has a purpose even for the unnamed. Their lives and stories are full of true beauty.
Maybe we as Christian women feel like we aren’t enough or can’t offer God everything He expects of us. Perhaps we feel someone is a better fit for God’s love and grace. These are lies Satan has put in our minds, because God doesn’t shun you or disregard you.
Jesus picks one out of the crowd — not the one with the most beautiful complexion or the perfect life, but the one with the hurt and grief — and chooses that one. He saw all the shame and doubts and said, “Her, I choose her.” He picked that single one on whom to shed grace, mercy and peace and to love unconditionally. He chose her to receive a new identity.
That person He chose out of the crowd is you and I.
You are no longer broken, helpless or unworthy. Each day, Jesus sees you, listens to you, pursues you and chooses you. You are His, and you are no longer nameless. You are set free, healed and loved.
Reflection
Take a moment and pray that God will open your heart to let Him seep in the words you need to hear. Then read Psalms 19, 96 and 119. Take time to really reflect on His Word, pray wholeheartedly, and reflect on what God has brought you through and how faithful He really is.
I then encourage you to take out a sheet of paper. In the middle of it, draw a circle and write “Because He is…” Now, around the circle, write all the names and words God is: “Healer,” “Protector,” “Sovereign,” etc. However few or however many you can truthfully say God is in your own life. These words and phrases you write on this paper are what you view God as, and God is and will always be these things to protect and love you.
Pray on it. Really take time to meditate on whom you see God as, and be truthful about it. Think about where God has taken you to get you to where you are now. Think about how He has been faithful, loving and nurturing.
Prayer
God, I thank you so much for giving me a second chance. Over and over again, I fail you, and I feel broken and ashamed. I try on my own to give myself a name I think I deserve, but I end up in the pigpen every time. Only your gracious mercy and love can heal my heart and my wounds. Only your peace and wisdom can guide me into the woman you have called me to be.
Thank you for choosing me. I no longer have to stay unraveled and labeled, because by your grace alone I am given a name. I am no longer nameless. I am no longer hopeless. I am no longer an outcast. I am accepted and fully loved. Every day I will thank You for how gracious you have been to me. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Victoria Fisher is a Greenville University student majoring in communications with a double minor in theatre studies and public relations. She serves as the student radio manager for WGRN and an editor for the Papyrus.
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