“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians 3:16)
As Christians we are to be vessels of the living Word; filled and poured out daily amongst the living yet dead that surround us. Jesus said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”(John 7:37-38) We have access to life-giving, living waters in Christ and the knowledge of Him. Why search we elsewhere for filling, or worse, lead others to any source but the purest? “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13) If wisdom is the ability to apply godly knowledge to daily life situations then our sole source of truth and guidance should be His Word. Our goal should be to have our hearts and minds so entrenched in its riches that the natural outflow of our conversation would be replete with Scriptures and the principles thereof.
The following was an exercise with which I challenged myself. In thinking of the subject of motherhood and the awesome task of raising souls, lent to me for just a short time by God, I wanted to link as many Scriptures together as would make a running commentary from God’s Word on the subject. I highly suggest you try the same with a topic that is close to your heart! Let God’s words be entwined with your own, yet dominate the text. After all, it is not only our words, but our hearts, our minds; our lives are all to be so intertwined with our dear Saviour, who is The Word, that we are to be as one with Him. This is the abundant life.
I begin with the thought, “Children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is His reward.” The chain begins to form: And the joyful mother exclaims, “My soul doth magnify the Lord…for He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name.”
The gift of this precious new life! What mercy, what grace of God to entrust me with such a treasure to be raised for Him! I praise Him for His gracious mercy for I know that God exacteth of me less than mine iniquity deserveth. Yea, indeed and verily, His thoughts are higher than my thoughts and His ways higher than my ways.
A blessed reward has been given and now I seek to build up this new home, but how? I read in His precious Word that through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: and by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. I see also that every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands. So I learn that Wisdom is the principal thing: therefore (I must) get wisdom: and with all (my) getting get understanding.
Again, I remember that His thoughts are not my thoughts, neither are my ways His ways. So I pray for help, that I would be not wise in (mine) own eyes: (that I would) fear the LORD, and depart from evil. For the Scripture is true and the old man in me knows by experience that there is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
As one that gropes in the darkness of the wisdom of this world, I give my being to the Lord, Who is the Lamp unto my feet and the Light unto my path and ask for His direction as I contemplate the brevity of the allotted time for my sacred task; knowing then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. All work is to be done while it is yet day for the night cometh quickly. I fall to my knees and I beg Him for His guidance.
With confidence in His sovereignty I know that I have been placed here and now for such a time as this and have been bestowed with the title of Mother for such a child as this. Without hesitation I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. I will be a good steward of His precious reward as found in this child.
I pray, take my lips, my life, my all! Make me thine, O Lord! Thou knowest that I am but dust and that my heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. I read in Your word that he that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls. And if the walls be cast down about my spirit, wherein shall the children dwell safely? For no man liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself. The atmosphere of my heart pervades my home and invades the hearts of my children; either polluting or refreshing the sacred ground there.
Therefore, O Lord, make my heart to be a safe dwelling place for my children. Guide my lips that they may speak the truth in love and minister grace unto the hearers. May all evil be put away from me with all malice and may my life be marked by love, by kindness, and by forgiveness. As You deal with me, may I deal with those You have placed about me.
For these little ones I plead: Oh, let not my children be as living yet dead, who cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness. Rather may they join the company of they that be wise, and of those that will shine as the brightness of the firmament; and be of that company that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. Let my children be amongst the heavenly dwellers, amongst they who shall in time to come hunger no more, neither thirst anymore and that dwell in the presence of the Lamb Who shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
But, O Lord, the distance from this cradle side to the throne side is a great distance that crosses the treacherous territory of the will. And You have selected and ordained me as the guide to this precious soul. Humbly, I beseech my God, For He is God and there is none else. I well know that vain is the help of man. Weak shall I be when I trust in the arm of man. Through God and God alone I shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down (all) my enemies of selfishness, harshness, laziness, ingratitude, greed, lust, time-wasting, short-sighted goal setting, low expectations, doubt and disbelief.
Precious are thy thoughts towards me, O Lord, and so feeble seems my love for you. In humble and complete dependence I will search for You in my every day as I would for hid treasure in a vein beneath my feet. May it not be said of me that: she obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God. I am keenly aware that this is my time to make my choice and to seek Your wisdom in Your Word; to put myself in a place to daily hear from you; and to allow You to break me, mold me and make me.
This life and this task of motherhood is my gift. And He hath shown us, dear moms, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of (us), but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with (our) God.
And the joyful mother exclaims, “My soul doth magnify the Lord…for He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name.”
—It is my prayer, dear reader, that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. A worthy goal indeed for the Christian woman!
As seasons of life change, Elizabeth happily remains desperately dependent upon her God. Three of her four children have now branched off to begin their own families. She is a homeschooling veteran and a faithful wife for over 30 years.
Read Elizabeth’s salvation testimony here and her articles here.
Comments 1
What a heart-cry in prayer to the God Who loves His own and hears His children’s petitions. Thanks for the inspiring thoughts from the Word of God.