Devotional – February 08, 2021

Our Daily Devotional series for the month of February is based on Proverb 31:10-31. We have met the Virtuous Woman whose character, nature and personality are admirable, to say the least. Through this series, we are Making the Case for Virtue to assess the relevance and value in our lives as women. In last week’s Daily Devotionals we explored: The Foundation of Her Faith; that is, the faith of the Proverbs 31 Woman.

This week, we continue to Make the Case for Virtue, and will focus on Her Character and Nature. Together, we will discuss her personal attributes and also explore practical ways we can incorporate them into our lives. It is a wonderful feeling when we are growing and changing into a better version of ourselves each day. We are blessed to have the Bible as a Book of Instruction and Inspiration that helps us to exercise faith in God, and have confidence that the efforts we make matters and have an eternal benefit.

Today, the aspect of the character of the Virtuous Woman we will highlight is: She Prays! We have already established that the woman who has embraced Virtue as the standard by which she lives makes wise investments. As a successful woman, she is careful to prioritize her tasks and make decisions that bring her success. The most important being her relationship with God, what we deemed A Woman’s Most Valuable Asset.

The woman who is “Virtuous” is the first to admit that her help comes from God, her Maker. She knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that His love for her is everlasting and knows that she has no need to fear, but only to rely completely on His guidance. For this reason, communicating with her God is a priority, and she commits to pray, pray, pray!!! In everything, she prays, at all times she prays – she asks, seeks and knocks. This practice is the secret for her success, peace, joy and fulfillment.

What do you believe inspired this exceptional woman to be committed to being in constant communication with her God? I believe she made a conscious decision to adhere to Biblical Teachings; she made the Scriptures her compass. She also knew that God was loving, merciful and attentive to every word she uttered.

Let’s see what the Bible teaches about prayer.

1. But truly God has listened; He has attended to the voice of my prayer ( Psalm 66:19)
2. You will make your prayers to Him, and He will hear you, and you will pay your vows. ( Job 22:27)
3. The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous (Proverbs 15:29)
4. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (St. Mark 11:24)
5. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26)
6. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. (Romans 12:12)
7.  The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)
8. “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”(Colossians 4:2)
9. Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray... (St. James 5:13)
10. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (St. James 5:16)

As we admire the character and nature of the Virtuous Woman, let us also emulate her in being prayerful at all times. What we know for sure is that when she prays, her prayers are answered. This is the reason the story recorded of her reports her many successes. As women who strive to be “Virtuous”, we too, like the woman in Proverbs 31:10-31 are loved by our God, remember, we are Daddy’s Little Girls.

There is no doubt that because of the quality time she spends in the presence of God, she learns much wisdom and can pass it on to others: for this reason it is said of her:

“She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

Proverbs 31:26

In our everyday life, we can remember that the ear of our God is always attentive to what we have to say to Him. When we are unsure, we should pray, when we are sure, we should still pray, when we need guidance, we ought to pray…in everything we do, we should pray. When we do we have the opportunity to draw closer and closer to the Lover of our souls who desires to bless us abundantly. So when we submit our petitions to God, He will be faithful to respond. Yet when we don’t, there is little he can do because prayer is what activates His promise to get involved in the affairs of our lives.

The Virtuous Woman teaches us about the power of prayer. Let us then make it a habit to take all our petitions to God as the first action we take concerning our life plans and challenges. May it always be what we do so that we can laugh at the days to come because we are Virtuous Women who will not get off the path our Daddy has called us to take.