Through my years on earth, I have both concocted and heard many injurious comments addressed to women. Such reckless words often destroy the very women used by God to encourage His children.
On this thirteenth lenten morning, whether you are a woman, man, child, adult, clergyman, layman, or whatever, you and I are invited to give up the right to whine and grumble about the women in our lives. Instead, we are to consider prayerfully the magnitude of the gift of their presence.
God has endowed the world with womanhood -- a precious blessing that has provided opportunities for countless babies to be born, numerous sinners to
be led to Christ, untold disillusioned men to be loved, innumerable minds to
absorb knowledge, myriad broken hearts to be mended, millions of teary-eyed
individuals to be comforted.
Should we not pray for them today?
Should we not bless them this morning?
We bless their minds with the riches
of complete understanding made available to them through God’s Word so that
they can understand fully the faithfulness of God, the depth of His love, and
the immeasurable patience He shows to all.
We bless their eyes with the gift of
spiritual insight so that they can truly perceive and experience God at work in
their lives and in the lives of those around them, in order that they may
praise God’s name, and also that others may come to a saving knowledge of the
news of the Cross.
We bless their ears to hear with
clarity the life-giving words of scripture, the voice of Jesus beckoning them
to follow Him, and human words spoken in truth with grace and love. We pray
that they will shut their ears when words of discouragement and the lies of the
deceiver seek to poison their hearts.
We bless their hearts to be
transformed from stony hearts into tender and moist hearts that are filled with
the willingness to obey Christ, the patience to wait on the Lord, the courage
to care deeply for those who are far from Christ, and the joy of the Lord.
We bless their lips and tongue to
nurture and encourage the hearts of their children and others under their
influence whenever the opportunity arises, to bring joy and laughter to friend or foe,
to ask the kinds of questions that will bring conviction of spiritual needs and
the sufficiency of Christ to meet said needs.
We bless their hands to touch
everything under their care with the precision that God displays and the
strength that He provides, to practice hilarious and uncommon generosity, and
to bear much fruit in their quest to please God in every way.
We bless their
feet to travel willingly and obediently where angels fear to go, to tread upon the singular path of the gospel with faithfulness and joy, to bring others
alongside them on the journey toward eternity with Christ.
We bless them to embrace their
womanhood with gratitude and excitement as they grow in their love for Christ.
May their testimony speak loudly in the land of the living as they await the
return of our Risen Lord!
We bless their whole being to rend their affections and desires and treasures, sending them ahead to heaven where true riches can never be destroyed by rust or moss. May surrender ever be the melodious anthem of their souls!
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