July 12-18 Lesson Three

"A Wife's Understanding of God--God's Protective Authority"
The following is a summary adaption taken from The Excellent Wife, by Martha Peace.

If I were to ask what your perception of God is, what would you say? What does the name "Heavenly Father" mean to you? I have asked this question to many ladies over the years and I have learned that not only are there many different ideas and views of God, but also many misconceived ideas as to Who God really is. I have found that there are two basis views that are held as to God's character:

A god of love--This is your Santa Claus/Grandpa version of God, the big warm snuggly old man who gives you presents for being a good girl. This "God" merely winks at our sin and looks at it as just childish misbehavior. After all, He knows that we are sinners and that we just can't help but be disobedient and sinful sometimes. This "god" loves everyone and doesn't get angry over sin at all.

A god of wrath--This is the Judge, you know...the Omnipotent One who reigns above with a rod of iron in His hand. You had best not misbehave or do anything wrong because as sure as you do He will zap you! Please him? Forget it. He is too busy punishing your wrongdoings and is far too hard-hearted to be pleased.

So, which is right the perception of our Father? Which do you serve, god #1 or god #2? If you have been taught a healthy balanced view of God you will know that He is neither. As Mrs. Peace so amply states:

"Unlike a make believe god, however, the God of the Bible is the sovereign, just, and loving Ruler over all the earth and all His creatures. He is the God Most High who is the Potter and we are His clay (Romans 9:19-21). We are to bow in humble submission and adoration before Him. Our view of life is to be God-centered, not self-centered. We are here to serve Him, rather than Him being here to serve us. He alone is worthy to be praised. Understanding your proper position as a creature serving the Creator is foundational to clearing up any misperceptions you may have about God and His protective authority over you."

During our next three studies we are going to focus on learning some things about God and about ourselves as Christian women. These are important things and will help us to see how we can trust God to protect us and also why we need to be protected. This week we will look at some basic truths that we, as Christian wives, need to know about God.

God has planned a ministry for you. Genesis 2:18 "Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.

During the creation days God did many wonderful and amazing acts. He created all the wonderful aspects of nature as we know them today. But, the most amazing of all creation to me is that of mankind. God chose to take dust from the earth, form it into a man and then breathe into that man the breath of life.

Then in Genesis 2:18 the Bible tells us that God determined that it was not good for man to be alone and He said, "I will make a help meet for him." God created all the animals, birds, yes every living creature and brought them to Adam. But still God saw that not one of them was found suitable as a helper for Adam. So God created woman and the job was done! Man now had a helper-he named her woman.

Sisters, God's plan for man and woman was an eternal plan. It has not and will never change. The chief end of all mankind is to bring glory and honor to God, but in order for us to do so, we must do it in the manner that God designed that day in the Garden of Eden.

Humanism, coupled with the feminist movement, has tried to eradicate the proper role of a woman. And to appease our consciences, some well-meaning (?) Christians have tried to teach us that in Christ there is neither male nor female and that we are all one in the same. In its context that is true. But God's design, purpose and primary ministry for a woman has not changed! God created YOU to be a "helper suitable" for your husband. (We will clearly defined this term in Chapter Six)
God is gracious, righteous, and compassionate. Psalm 116:1, 2, 5 "I love the LORD, because He hears my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore shall I call upon Him as long as I live...Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yes, our God is compassionate."

In light of your perception of God, do you think of Him as a gracious, righteous and compassionate Father? He is, and because of that He is always with you to bear up your burdens, to bind up your wounds and to see you through whatever heartaches and troubles come your way. God is holy and He will always do only what is best for you. (Romans 8:28) He is faithful to keep His word and His promises; He cannot lie. Therefore, He WILL listen when you cry out to Him.

God's Strength and understanding are unlimited. Psalm 147: 3,5 "He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds...Great is our Lord, and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite."

Our God is an all-powerful, all-knowing God. He knows everything about us (Psalm 139). There is nothing hid from Him. He knows our wants, our needs, and our desires. He takes all of these things into consideration when determining His ultimate plan for each of our lives- a plan that will ultimately bring honor and glory to His holy name. And because God is unlimited He forever has the ability to care for you, regardless of how great your hurt may be. He has the power to heal your heart, even if it is broken in two!
God's is purposefully working in your life. Romans 8:28-29 "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren..."

This passage of scripture promises us that every single thing that happens in our lives, even BAD things, is for our good. Can you believe that, dear sister? Adversity builds character and causes us to become more like the Lord Jesus. And when we respond biblically to our adversities God is honored and glorified through us. This promise is made to those who love God. John 14:15 tells us that we show our love for God by being an obedient child.

God wants you to be a joyful and fulfilled wife. Proverbs 31: 13, 18, 25, 29 "She looks for wool and flax, and works with her hands in delight...She senses that her gain is good; her lamp does not go out at night...Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future...He husband also, and he praises her, saying, "Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all."

What greater fulfillment and joy could we have as Christian wives have than to be able to honestly say that we delight in our calling and can honestly "smile" when we think of our future. Oh to hear the praises of our husbands! As we begin to understand God's will for us as Christian women and we become obedient to His call then our joy will come. Dirty dishes, dirty diapers, mountains of laundry and all those cobwebs will become a delight as we gain a sense of fulfillment of doing what is good and acceptable in the sight of God.

"So we can see that God does care about each and every wife--including you. With His unlimited understanding, and heart of compassion, He has devised a perfect plan by which you are to live. There is purpose in whatever situation you may experience, and God wants you to experience fulfillment in your role as a wife. Fulfulling your God-intended role is not a bad thing, but a good thing. God is good and He does all things well, including rule over His creatures. In addition to having a biblical view of God, however, you also need to know somethings about yourself and that works that God would like for you to do. We will cover that next week when we study, "What Wives Need to Know About Their Works and Themselves."

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