Voices: from Him, through Him, to Him

This is the second post in a series about Voices of the True Woman: A Call to the Counter-Revolution. Read here: post one.

So I’m hopefully devoted to the Lord. That is, I’m devoted to the Lord, and I am hopeful in that devotion. I am hopeful that what God has said in His Word is true. (God’s Word IS truth!) What is hope? Let me share the definition from my favorite dictionary:

1. A desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. Hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it. Hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish and desire may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety.

2. Confidence in a future event; the highest degree of well founded expectation of good; as a hope founded on God’s gracious promises; a scriptural sense.

{Noah Webster was a brilliant man.}

It pains me to see people without hope. Even more, to see professing Christians who bear the fruit of hopelessness rather than hopefulness.

The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love. (Psalm 147:11)

But how do we put our hope in Him when everything seems to be crumbling around us? How do we remain true women of God when jobs are lost, emotional wounds are inflicted, loved ones become ill, marriages crumble, children are wayward, or even worse, they are taken from us?

In chapter two of Voices, Nancy Leigh DeMoss shares the answer in what she believes to be at the heart of the True Woman movement:

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to Him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)

When our heads are full of questions and the answers are few, God knows. He knows everything. He truly knows EVERYTHING! He knows our pain, our suffering, every detail of every difficult situation. And He know us – our sins, desires, motives, and insecurities. He knows it all. Believe that.

He also knows everything about everyone and everything else. From the minute details to the grand expanses. He sees the whole picture, while we struggle to see even one brush stroke of it. And He is not just sitting back watching helplessly, or vindictively. No! He is actively working in all things. As Nancy quotes a statement she heard from John Piper,

In every situation and circumstance of your life, God is always doing a thousand different things that you cannot see and you do not know.

Sometimes we catch a tiny glimpse of what God is doing, almost always in hindsight; but often we don’t even get that much. We must continue to be faithful. As Paul stated in the passage above, God’s ways are unsearchable and inscrutable. We don’t have to know all the answers if our hope is in Him.

What Is At Stake

Nancy shares:

Paul’s towering statements of truth can lead to only one conclusion: “For from him and through him and to him are all things” (Romans11:36). Everything finds its true meaning and purpose in God’s meaning and purpose.

This is why true womanhood results in a God-centered life and perspective, a God-centered worldview, eternally tethered to who God is and His sovereign, inscrutable ways.

If you’re not there or are unwilling to go there – if you’re resisting the call of God for true womanhood – your life will be set adrift on a sea of shifting emotions and unruly ways of thinking. You are inviting depression and anger. You are tempting bitterness and confusion. You are fueling a mind-set that will stay in constant disarray, with no reference point to provide any kind of stability for your life.

Where you need to be is here: “From him and through him and to him are all things.” If you’re not there, you’ve missed the whole point of your existence.

Whew, I suddenly feel like I’m belting it out, and I want to shout, “Can I get a witness? Do I hear an ‘Amen’?” Except that I would be my own witness and I would shout “Amen”. I’ve been there: the shifting emotions, the anger, the bitterness, and the confusion. I don’t want to be there; I want to be there: From him and through him and to him.

Nancy closes with what this looks like, what it means for our every day:

1) A true woman lives a God-centered life. We live in a self-centered world, but a true woman of God lives a God-centered life. She lives for His glory and pleasure, not her own . . . because it’s not about us. …A true woman is more than a good wife and mother, a loyal friend and daughter. More than anything else, she is enthralled with the Lord Jesus Christ – the Pearl of great price, the supreme Treasure of life. He is the center of her universe and her life revolves around him.

2) A true woman trusts God. …the true woman doesn’t give in to fear. …She knows that the One in charge of “all things” can be trusted to know what He’s doing. He has a plan we would not have scripted, a plan we may not understand, but it is His plan, and His plan is good, wise, and can never be thwarted. …A true woman has hope – real, genuine hope – in the midst of a world filled with pain, loss, and uncertainty.

3) A true woman says, “Yes, Lord.” ..The true woman accepts the way God made her, embracing her God-given design and roles in life, being grateful that He made her a woman, thankful for the privilege of serving and giving and fulfilling His holy purposes. She lives intentionally, not just drifting from one meaningless activity to the next, letting the circumstances of life pull her along. She’s willing to be like a salmon, swimming upstream, living a counter-culture life in an unholy world for the glory of God.

Is it easy? No. But I’m finding that it is glorious!

Can I get a witness?

In hope,
Shelli