Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
--Ephesians 5:24
I find that many women see this instruction as limiting, constraining, not freeing. But that depends on how you look at it.
Of course, this verse is much more comforting if your husband follows the instructions in the following verse: "Husbands love your wives just as Christ loves the church and gave Himself up for her..." But I believed that even if your husband is not committed to Christ, or is not committed to His leadings, this commandment to submit to our husbands is truth and life for us.
Again, we need to follow the Leader, not keeping our eyes on these others.
The freedom in the verse comes from what it is NOT telling us to do. Often women get caught up in pleasing too many people. I know, I do! But this instruction tells us to submit to our husbands. Not our children, or our bosses, or our mothers, or our girlfriends. But submit to our husbands IN EVERYTHING. That means that he is our primary leader, as Christ is our head as believers.
I hear too many voices and am confused. I see many faces and I want them all to be happy, to be pleased with me. But I find I cannot please them all. Often their desires are contridictory or overly straining on me. It is like I need permission to say NO.
But my husband, he cares for me above all those others. When I am constrained by him, often I can find rest, because he does not desire me to be harried. He does not want me to work too hard. He does not want me to be driven by the demands of my job, or my social life or even the needs of our children.
He wants me to be able to rest with him. As Christ does.
He also sees where my blind spots are and can direct me around the potholes of life, if I will only hear him.
And what of those of us who have no husband today? Take joy in this truth...
For your Maker is your husband— the LORD Almighty is His name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.
--Isaiah 54:5
1 comment:
Amen Sister! Thanks for this great verse! I had to learn the hard way, of course, what this verse really means! I even tried with all my might to submit just like the Word says. Many times, I rolled up my sleeves and said, "ok, I'm going to submit to my husband" today. It didn't work at first and all I can think of is maybe "I'm not submitting enough"! Then, one day, God said "submit to Me first and the rest will come naturally"! So, that's what I needed to do! I needed to submit first to my Maker and Husband in Heaven - and the rest, well, it's history! My husband and I are experiencing for the very first time in 15 yrs., the marriage that we have both longed for! I no longer look at people and say, "I wish my husband and I loved each other that much" or "I wish my husband treated me better". God gave me the desires of my heart - all to God's Glory! Halleluiah to the King of kings, Halleluiah to the Lamb,
Halleluiah to the Lord of lords, He is the Great I AM!
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