GW 8: Fearing the Lord (+ a little wrap-up!)

My drive to work this summer - I promise I'll explain!

Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 

~ Proverbs 31:30

So here we are: our last GW post just in time for Christmas! This whole section ends focusing on probably the most important attribute of a godly woman: fearing the Lord. 

Before we get into probably one of the best examples of a woman who feared God, I wanted to say a little bit about charm and beauty. For myself, I find that it's amazing how much time gets spent on these things considering the value that they are said to have here - I'm definitely guilty of spending an extra couple of minutes editing that text to make sure it's especially witty and going back to change into that cuter outfit! Always just helpful to have a reminder of what is actually lasting!

Now on to our example: the one and only Mary. After she hears that she will deliver Christ from the archangel Gabriel, her first response is:

Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. ~ Luke 1:38

And later when telling the news to her relative Elizabeth, she sings:

My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 

for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for he who is mighty has done great things for me,  and holy is his name.

And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

he has brought down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of humble estate;

he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy

as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever. ~ Luke 1:46-55

According the Merriam-Webster dictionary, one of the key parts of the definition of fear is "to have a referential awe of." 

When we look at this example of Mary, she both glorifies the Lord and acknowledges her own  humble estate - a beautiful depiction of fearing the Lord. She acknowledges God's mighty deeds towards herself, His holiness, His mercy, His strength, His power over men, His provision, and His guidance. Not only does she note the Lord's marvelous traits, but her soul seeks to make the Lord's name even bigger! When she speaks of herself, all Mary mentions is her state of servanthood before the Lord as well as her own humble nature. Mary's fear of the Lord isn't just in thought and word, it's in action as well. Her knowledge of her servant state before the Lord causes her to obey Him, trusting everything that Gabriel says to be according to the Lord's word. In seeking to imitate Mary, our fear of the Lord should motivate us towards acts of obedience.

And now to the promised explanation: as I was mulling over the Proverbs 31 woman this summer one day on my way to work,  I came across the above sign. I couldn't help but thinking that the Proverbs 31 woman was a woman of soul (cliche, but forgive me please). While society often views a godly woman as weak, Proverbs 31 offered an image of a Godly Woman who was trustworthy and brought others good, who was eager to work and serve,  who carried her plans with an open hand, who was full of strength and dignity,  who taught wisely and kindly, and who served the poor and oppressed. Although others may see her submission to the Lord and others as weakness, it was precisely those characters that made her full of strength and dignity. My prayer for us this Christmas Eve is that we may, like the Proverbs 31 woman, focus on how we can make God larger and ourselves smaller.