Can a good and Godly man find a good and Godly wife in our day and age? Some are a bit hesitant to answer this question. We’re hearing so much negativity when it comes to relationships that many people are losing faith that truly quality individuals exist. “They don’t make em’ like they used to.” How many times have we heard this? Our grandmothers and grandfathers grew up during much more challenging times. They faced discrimination and all the isms that go with it, yet many of them were unselfish, kind, and tenderhearted towards one another. Their hearts weren’t tainted by the darkness of the times. Many marriages among them lasted a lifetime, but today, we’re led to believe that it is a different story altogether. Is this true though? Is it really as bad as people are led to believe?
During the times in which the Prophet Elijah lived, God’s people vacillated from hot to cold. They turned their backs on God countless times. Elijah loved God’s people very much, and he wanted them to maintain the level of loyalty and commitment to Heavenly Father that he had himself. While Elijah was in despair and in a cave on Mount Sinai, the Lord asked, “Elijah, what are you doing here?” 1Kings 19:10(NLT) tells us, “Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”
Many of us can empathize with the prophet. He had done all that he believed he could to convince the Children of Israel to change their wicked ways and come back to God, but they would not do it. They used God’s grace to sin even more. This was very alarming to Elijah. He knew the curses, diseases, and destruction that their sin would cause, and on top of this, they rejected the prophet. They no longer wanted to hear God’s wisdom and direction but wanted to do their own thing. Elijah thought that all was lost, and we can sense it in his response to our Heavenly Father.
Just as Elijah was feeling exasperated about the disobedience of God’s people, numerous singles are feeling the same way about their quest to find the right person. So many singles have exhausted various ways to put themselves out there and find someone new, but the people they’ve met leave them beyond disappointed. “Is everyone like that?” They wonder. Pretentious, self-absorbed, ill-mannered, nonchalant, and emotionally unavailable; these are just a few of the undesirable characteristics that are sometimes on full blast when meeting someone new. There’s nothing of substance to connect to, and you sense it instantly. After a while, this can wear a person down.
Proverbs 31:10-11(NLT) states, “10 Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. 11 Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.” This passage is notorious among sisters in Christ. And in the next few verses of this chapter, God goes on to lay out more attributes of a Godly wife. As He gives us His standard in detail, there is no question that a virtuous woman must definitely be on point. Heavenly Father was very purposeful in telling us what He requires in her. The standard is high because the man must equal or exceed it. That’s what God wants for them both. He didn’t want us guessing about it. He’s very clear in His Word about His expectation, and our responsibility is to allow His Word to mold us into His vision.
It stands to reason that if I’m on a lower plain with my thoughts and attitudes, the top level is not in my view. I can’t see the men who think, speak, live, and love on that higher plain, because there is a chasm between us. Negative thoughts, bad behavior, doubt, and unbelief all exist on the lower plain. This is one of the reasons why God commands us in Philippians 4:8(NLT), “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” When we are stuck in our old ways of thinking and behaving, those old thoughts and behaviors produce the reality we live in. The only way out is to renew our minds and align our thoughts with the mind of Christ.
We might think that there’s a shortage of good and Godly people, but this simply isn’t true. Quite frankly, it’s the perception and experience we are witnessing because our faith has not increased to the point of extending our reach. To spiritually reach higher heights, we must think higher thoughts of faith continually. Without this, we can’t reach up to the top shelf and pull any treasures from it. Elijah was emotionally exhausted from the troubles he had experienced. He was not seeing Heavenly Father as the all-powerful, all-knowing God that owns everything and can do anything. Elijah underestimated God’s resources, and that is exactly what many single believers are doing. Because they can’t see the top shelf, they acquiesce to believing that nothing is up there.
Elijah believed that there were no others who could be trusted to be loyal to God, but he was wrong. There were 7000 individuals that had not bowed to idolatry and still honored the One True God. Heavenly Father is and will forever be in the blessing business. God wants to bless His sons with a Proverbs 31:10 wife, and she is a fearsome thing to behold. We must understand that we belong to God’s Kingdom. We are His royal sons and daughters, and there is no greater honor that exists. We must cultivate our womanhood to God’s standard, and we are fully capable through Jesus Christ of getting it done. When this is our aim, we will extend our reach through our faith in God. No longer will we try to find treasures where there are none. We’ll move where treasures abide, which is on the top shelf, and there we’ll be seen and valued as treasures ourselves.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“The Experience of a Godly Woman”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.