Strength & dignity are her clothing & her position is strong & secure; she rejoices over the future, the latter day or time to come, knowing that she & her family are in readiness for it!
Proverbs 31:25
Ok so don’t throw stuff at me for mentioning the Proverbs 31 woman. I know she has set an impossible standard for us and she terrifies some people.
So many times, we think being prepared for the future means financial security or resources or grand thing that will take the fear away. But I really don’t think that is why she rejoiced. The financial meltdowns over the last decade have shown that even the nicest retirement fund can disappear in a moment. A natural disaster can destroy a home and belongings. A death or sickness can alter the future forever.
So, what is the readiness this talks about? Strength. That strength that only comes from the Lord. Leaders like Gideon were given strength for battles that didn’t make sense. We always hear about strength in numbers, but God told him to send away the vast majority of his army and only go into battle with 300 men. The Israelites were told to march around Jericho’s walls and blow trumpets not create weaponry to bring them down. God’s strength is not what we think strength is.
Having the kind of strength that can rejoice in the future no matter what it holds is the strength with which Paul said “For to me, to live is Christ, He is my source of joy, my reason to live, and to die is gain, for I will be with Him in eternity.” Philippians 1:21.
If our lives are lived for Christ, then we can rejoice in the future because it will either be more opportunities to glorify His name here on earth or it will be with Him in eternity. Will you sing a Hallelujah for a future that is in Christ’s hands?