Faithful on Fridays Blog

Proverbs 31:13-15 

Part Two

The Hebrew word that begins verse 13 is seek. This type of woman seeks God’s purpose for her day, she’s diligent to spend time with Him, and He delights in her: she is a ‘God seeker‘. Ishah chayil (in Hebrew) makes a search of how to bless her family, the example is clothing, however, this woman seeks out God in all aspects of her life. As a prayer warrior, powerful in the Spirit, she investigates and inquires about the best decisions for her day. She begins with God as she seeks direction and counsel from His Word. She knows where her strength comes from.

Seek the Lord and his strength; seek His presence continually! 1 Chronicles 16:11

Verse14 begins with a metaphor: she’s like a ship moving toward a destination. This woman is like that; she has a goal for her day, week, maybe even year and progressively moves in that direction like a ship carrying food from far away. Ishah chayil has spent time in the presence of the Lord and has His plan of action for the day, that’s wisdom; she knows what to do and when to do it. Wisdom is described with female characteristics in Proverbs 8: listen to what she says,

Blessed is the one who listens to Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting beside My doors. For whoever finds Me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord. Proverbs 8:34-35

Interestingly, verse 15 begins with the next Hebrew letter which translates as and. And what? And she rises and she provides and she prepares. This Proverbs 31 woman, ishah chayil, can accomplish her goals because God has spoken to her in prayer and she rises up early to begin. If she’s married or not, if she has children or not, if she has a job outside the home or not; she’s prayed about her day, prioritized what she wants to accomplish, and sets out to meet her goals. 

I sense that this woman has a few questions on her heart. “Who can I bless today?”

“What do You have for me today, Lord?”

“Is there ministry for me today, a word of encouragement or help for someone?”

It’s like her manna every day: God’s will and purpose.

Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Psalms 68:19

Are you getting the picture? This woman, ishah chayil, isn’t some ‘pie in the sky’, magazine-type ‘super-woman’ whose character is unattainable; this is a woman who’s growing in her relationship with God because she spends time with Him. All of the good that she does comes from God’s heart; she has just learned how to tap into and drink from that fountain of living water. Jesus said,

… those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life. John 4:14

Women, this is doable.