Tuesday, March 22, 2011

She is Trustworthy

A woman who fears is the Lord is trustworthy

(Proverbs 31:30 & 11).

TRUSTWORTHY. That is a loaded word, my friend.

Worthy of trust. Worthy to be trusted.

I don't know about you, but my levels of trusting others can fluctuate. I can go from telling someone I barely know everything about myself - to - clamming up and giving basic details to the same type of acquaintance. Although I will say I tend towards the former with my heart-baring ways, I do find it odd that I can just as easily turn around and not trust someone - for no discernible reason, whatsoever.

But enough about me trusting others, that really is a whole other topic. I want to turn to others trusting me. Am I trustworthy? How can that be measured? I have noticed that people tend to tell me things that they wouldn't tell others. Interestingly enough, they don't always know me that well at the point of telling; so I don't often feel like a deserving confidant. It is true I am a stickler for if-I'm-asked-not-to-repeat-something-thenIabsolutelywillnot. But how does that person confiding in me know this?

I think that's why the other day, while reading Proverbs 31 on my commute to work, verse 11 stuck out to me (and prompted the first sentence of this post - see above):

The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.

This man's own heart trusts in this woman. And because of his heart's trust in her, he will have no lack of gain. Whoa. Right? How can someone's heart trust in me? As I read further, I started to see evidence of his confidence in her:

She does him good, not harm every day. She knows how to get things done in and for her household. She is concerned for the needs of those less fortunate, and willingly helps. She is not anxious about the future. She speaks wisdom with kindness.*

Then we have her family's reaction to her. Her children rise up and call her blessed. Maybe because they are so well cared for, and see her kindness to others and the respect that affords. Her husband does the same, and says of her "many woman have done excellently, but you surpass them all." But here is the kicker:

30Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.

So yes, she can be trusted because she gets things done, all the while being wise and kind. But ultimately she can do all of these things because she fears the LORD. Have you ever tried to do things well while at the same time being anxious about the future? Let me tell you from experience, it doesn't work for long. It's like a house of cards, it won't hold up under the pressure or even a slight breeze. It all comes crashing down.

I love how God's word speaks of this woman. It ignores any shallow, meaningless description of her, knowing that outward appearances (charm and beauty) are not indicative of this woman's heart. Rather, she is to be praised because she fears the LORD. Further, her works praise her at the gates. Her works. All of those things we learn about her in verses 10 - 27. Those works, those deeds, are the outpouring of her fear/reverence/trust in the LORD. That is why she is trustworthy. Because her life is marked by fearing/revering/trusting the LORD.

And can I just add that this woman is rare and precious (v. 10)? The woman who fears the LORD is not only trustworthy, but rare and precious. I'm going to type that one more time, so that you can read it one more time. Rare and precious. And it's worth noting that it seems as though she is so hard to find that there needs to be a detailed description of her! :)

Back to little ol' me. Am I trustworthy? I'd like to think I am, but really I have no idea. I could take an anonymous poll of friends and family, but let's face it, that's not going to happen any time soon. However, as I seek to know God more and more with the expectation that I will trust in Him more and more; I pray that my life will look like hers. That it will be marked by revering the LORD. That, Lord willing, the evidences of His grace in my life will shine out to others. That indeed if I am ever to be praised by anyone (but especially by a man whose heart trusts in me**), it will be because of my hearts condition towards God, and the effective outpouring of that in the lives of those around me.

Ultimately that all lies in my trust in Christ. Am I trusting in the One who gave up His life so that my sins could be forgiven, that I could be reconciled to God - my Heavenly Father? Am I trusting in His promise to complete the work that He started in me? Am I relying on His righteousness while living my life and taking responsibility for the circumstances He has placed me in? Am I trusting that indeed all things will work together for my good, because He chose me as His daughter ? Am I trusting that the only reason I love Him is because He called me to Himself in the first place, having given me the faith to believe in Him? And am I praying for His grace to supply me in the areas that I am lacking?

If you think about it, will your pray for/with me? :) I am convinced that I will see the day when His work in me will be completed. Oh what a happy day that will be! Honestly, I can't even imagine.

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Trust (noun) - firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something:

acceptance of the truth of a statement without evidence or investigation

the state of being responsible for someone or something

Worthy (adjective) - deserving effort, attention, or respect:

having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in a specified way

good enough; suitable

Trustworthy (adjective) - able to be relied on as honest or truthful

Fear (verb) - archaic regard (God) with reverence and awe.

Definitions from Oxford Dictionaries.

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I found this old blog post from July 16, 2009 about Proverbs 31:25. :)

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*My mission (to myself), if I choose to accept it (from, well myself) is to think through Proverbs 31:10-31 further. I hope that by writing that on the tail-end of this post will hold me accountable.

**Wow, all I can think of is how deceitful the human heart is. Maybe that is what 31:3 is alluding to?

2 comments:

  1. so sweet and thank you for sharing... really encouraging and I will pray with you and for you :) you for me too, k?

    ReplyDelete